Additional Info

Field Value
Data last updated 22 January 2026
Metadata last updated 22 January 2026
Created 22 January 2026
Format text/csv
Licence Open Government Licence 3.0 (United Kingdom)

Data Dictionary

Column Title Type Description
YEAR_MONTH Year and Month number The year and month for which the claim for dispensed items has been submitted to NHSBSA in the format YYYYMM.
ICB_CODE ICB Code string ICB code is the unique identifying code attributed to an Integrated Care Board (ICB).
ICB_NAME ICB Name string The name of the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
PRESCRIBING_ORGANISATION_TYPE Practice Type Indicator string Indicates the type of contract which the GP practice holds with NHS England.
GP_PRACTICE_FLAG Practice_Cost_Centre_Type string Indicates whether the organisation is classed as a GP practice, or other type of service to which costs are allocated.
BNF_CODE BNF Code string The BNF Code is a 15-digit code in which the first seven digits are allocated according to the categories in the BNF and the last 8 digits represent the medicinal product, form, strength and the link to the generic equivalent product. NHS Prescription Services has created pseudo BNF chapters, which are not published, for items not included in BNF chapters 1 to 15. The majority of such items are dressings and appliances which NHS Prescription Services has classified into four pseudo BNF chapters (20 to 23).
BNF_DESCRIPTION BNF Presentation Description string The individual preparation name of the drug, which may be proprietary or generic, followed by strength and form.
FORMULATION Form Description string The physical form of the drug or appliance, for example tablet, capsule, oral suspension.
PATIENT_GENDER Patient Gender string Patient gender has been reported using the latest patient gender information from NHS Personal Demographic Service (PDS) held by the NHSBSA Information Services data warehouse at the time that the data was extracted. Gender is either: Male, Female, Not Known (where no information is held) or Indeterminate (where information is held which does not confirm either Male or Female).
AGE_BAND Age Band string Indicates the age band for identifiable patients. If a patient's age has not been able to be verified, the age band will be indicated as unknown. The age bands are presented in 6-year segments, for patients aged 12 or more at the point of prescribing. Please refer to the FOI notes for more information.
PRESCRIBED_QUANTITY Prescribed Quantity number The quantity that has been prescribed.
IDENTIFIED_PATIENTS Identified Patient Count string A count of identified patients whose NHS Number was recorded during prescription processing, where each patient is counted once per row in which they appear, regardless of the number of prescriptions matching these criteria. NB this value has been redacted where the true value is between 1 and 4, and replaced with an asterisk.
PATIENTS_1K_LST Patients per 1000 list size string The number of patients observed for the combination of aggregating fields in the row, per 1,000 patients on the practice list size for the organisation level. NB this value has been redacted where the identified patient count is between 1 and 4, and replaced with an asterisk.
ITEMS Items string Items shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed. NB this value has been redacted where the identified patient count is between 1 and 4, and replaced with an asterisk.
TOTAL_QUANTITY Total Quantity string Total quantity is the number of items multiplied by the quantity prescribed. e.g. 2 items prescribed, one with a quantity of 2 and one with a quantity of 3, the total quantity would show as 5 (1 item x quantity of 2) + (1 item x quantity of 3). NB this value has been redacted where the identified patient count is between 1 and 4, and replaced with an asterisk.