Request

Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000), I am requesting data regarding the volume of private prescriptions dispensed in community pharmacies for ADHD medications.

Because these are Schedule 2/3 Controlled Drugs, I am aware these private prescriptions must be submitted to you via standardized private controlled drug forms FP10PCD for audit and monitoring.

Please provide the following data:

1. The total number of private prescription items dispensed for the following BNF Chemical Substances:

• Methylphenidate hydrochloride

• Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate

• Dexamfetamine sulfate

• Atomoxetine hydrochloride

• Guanfacine

• Dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride

2. Please format this data broken down by:

• Month and Year (from June 2024 to the most recent available month).

• ICB / ICB Code

• BNF Chemical Substance Name

• Total number of private items dispensed.

Please provide this information in a machine-readable format, such as a CSV or Excel file.

Response

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

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

Number of items dispensed of presentations prescribed privately in BNF Section 0404 (CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD)

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.

Data Source

Data in ePACT2 is sourced from the NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse and is derived from products prescribed on prescriptions and dispensed in the community. The data captured from prescription processing is used to calculate reimbursement and remuneration. It includes items prescribed in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Guernsey / Alderney, Jersey and Isle of Man which have been dispensed in the community in England. English prescribing that has been dispensed in Wales, Scotland, Guernsey / Alderney, Jersey and Isle of Man is also included.

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.

This dataset

This dataset shows number of items dispensed per presentation for privately prescribed prescriptions of CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD – BNF Section 0404. The data is limited to the dispensing of the following BNF Chemical Substances:

0404000S0 Atomoxetine hydrochloride

0404000L0 Dexamfetamine sulfate

0404000T0 Dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride

0404000V0 Guanfacine

0404000U0 Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate

0404000M0 Methylphenidate hydrochloride

Time Period

Monthly data – June 2024 – January 2026 (latest month available).

Organisation Data

Private prescribing information is captured for controlled drugs Schedule 2 & 3 (Misuse of Drugs regulation 2001) prescribed in England and dispensed in the community. Dispensing ICB (Integrated Care Board) is indicated.

BNF Code

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).

Items

Shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed.

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: “ePACT2, NHSBSA Copyright 2026”. 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.