Request

You asked us: Please can I request an update to FOI-02837, for the same query but to reflect the next data month available - that is, April 2025 I understand that this data should now be available.

Original Request

I would like to request some specific information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on prescription activity within a therapeutic area I am currently investigating. I believe this information is held by yourselves at the NHS Business Services Authority as part of the recording of reimbursement activity, but the specific information I am seeking is not available from the data published on your site. I am looking to ascertain the number of monthly prescription items, cost and quantity of each medicine included in list A (below), that are being prescribed to patients who are not also in receipt of any of the medicines from the group defined in list B (also below). Please could I have this information for the latest available reporting month, and 23 previous months, to enable me to look at the past two-years of prescriptions.

0601011 7-digit
0601012 7-digit
0601021 7-digit
0601022 7-digit
0601040 7-digit
0601023B 8-digit
0601023I 8-digit
0601023R 8-digit
0601023S 8-digit
0601023U 8-digit
0601023V 8-digit
0601023W 8-digit
0601023X 8-digit
0601023Z 8-digit
0601023A0 9-digit
0601023AA 9-digit
0601023AC 9-digit
0601023AD 9-digit
0601023AE 9-digit
0601023AF 9-digit
0601023AG 9-digit
0601023AH 9-digit
0601023AJ 9-digit
0601023AK 9-digit
0601023AL 9-digit
0601023AM 9-digit
0601023AN 9-digit
0601023AP 9-digit
0601023AR 9-digit
0601023AU 9-digit
0601023AV 9-digit
0601023AX 9-digit
0601023AY 9-digit

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 18 June 2025.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

Our response

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information and notes explaining it is attached.

Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data.

NHSBSA NHS Prescription Services process prescriptions for Pharmacy Contractors, Appliance Contractors, Dispensing Doctors and Personal Administration with information then used to make payments to pharmacists and appliance contractors in England for prescriptions dispensed in primary care settings (other arrangements are in place for making payments to Dispensing Doctors and Personal Administration). This involves processing over 1 billion prescription items and payments totalling over £9 billion each year. The information gathered from this process is then used to provide information on costs and trends in prescribing in England and Wales to over 25,000 registered NHS and Department of Health and Social Care users.

Exclusions
The Data excludes:
• Items not dispensed, disallowed and those returned to the contractor for further clarification.
• Prescriptions prescribed and dispensed in Prisons, Hospitals and Private prescriptions.
• Items prescribed but not presented for dispensing or not submitted to NHS Prescription Services by the dispenser.

Data Source
The data source was the NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.

Time Period
April 2025

Organisation Data
The data provided is for prescriptions prescribed in England.

Drugs
Drug group A is limited to drugs with the following BNF prefixes 0601023AB, 0601023AI, 0601023AQ, 0601023AS, 0601023AW, 0601023AZ, 0601023Y0 Drug group B is limited to drugs with the following BNF prefixes 0601011, 0601012, 0601021, 0601022, 0601040, 0601023B, 0601023I, 0601023R, 0601023S, 0601023U, 0601023V, 0601023W, 0601023X, 0601023Z, 0601023A0, 0601023AA, 0601023AC, 0601023AD, 0601023AE, 0601023AF, 0601023AG, 0601023AH, 0601023AJ, 0601023AK, 0601023AL, 0601023AM, 0601023AN, 0601023AP, 0601023AR, 0601023AU, 0601023AV, 0601023AX, 0601023AY

Identified Patients
Prescriptions are only included if an NHS Number has been captured during NHSBSA processing.

Patients
Data is limited to prescriptions from patients with prescribing from Drug Group A, with no prescribing from Drug Group B, in the same month and ICB. This is consistent across both organisational data outputs.

Data Queries

Please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data.

Reusing the data and copyright

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “Data Warehouse, NHSBSA Copyright 2025”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.