Additional Info

Field Value
Data last updated 13 May 2026
Metadata last updated 13 May 2026
Created 13 May 2026
Format text/csv
Licence Open Government Licence 3.0 (United Kingdom)

Data Dictionary

Column Title Type Description
FINANCIAL_YEAR Financial Year string The financial year for which the claim for dispensed items has been submitted to NHSBSA, from April to March in any given year.
BNF_CHEMICAL_SUBSTANCE BNF Chemical Substance string This is the International Non-proprietary Name (INN) and is the standard registered name for the active constituent of that medicine, for example omeprazole. For compounds the name may be more complex, such as co-magaldrox magnesium/aluminium hydrox). In some cases the name is a collective one for a range of medicines, such as alginic acid compound preparations. For prescriptions in BNF chapters 19 to 23, there is no "chemical" name, as these are dressings and appliances. Therefore, these items are reported under the BNF section name, for example, night drainage bags.
BNF_CHEMICAL_SUBSTANCE_NAME BNF Chemical Substance string This is the International Non-proprietary Name (INN) and is the standard registered name for the active constituent of that medicine, for example omeprazole. For compounds the name may be more complex, such as co-magaldrox magnesium/aluminium hydrox). In some cases the name is a collective one for a range of medicines, such as alginic acid compound preparations. For prescriptions in BNF chapters 19 to 23, there is no "chemical" name, as these are dressings and appliances. Therefore, these items are reported under the BNF section name, for example, night drainage bags.
ITEMS Items number Items shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed.
NIC Net Ingredient Cost (NIC (£)) number Net Ingredient cost (NIC) is the basic price of a drug as stated in Part II Clause 8 of the Drug Tariff but please note that where a price concession for items listed in Part VIII of the Drug Tariff has been agreed between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee the NIC will reflect the concession price rather than the Drug Tariff price. NIC is given in Pounds Sterling.
IDENTIFIED_PATIENT_COUNT Identified Patient Count number 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.