Request

I would like to request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for any information pertaining to the quantity of cannabis prescriptions the NHS has record of. Specifically I would like to know how many prescriptions have been written per year since 2019, how many individuals have received such prescription and what form these products were in e.g. flower or oil.

Response

Unlicenced Prescribing, and Fewer Than 5 Patients for Licenced Prescribing

Please be aware that I have decided not to release details of NHS prescribing for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines. This is because the patients could be identified, when combined with other information that may be in the public domain or reasonably available, such as media coverage about cannabis prescribing.

In addition, please be aware that I have decided not to release figures where the total number of patients bring prescribed NHS Licenced cannabis falls below 5. This is because the patients could be identified, when combined with other information that may be in the public domain or reasonably available.

This information falls under the exemption in section 40 subsections 2 and 3A (a) of the Freedom of Information Act.

This is because it would breach the first data protection principle as: a) it is not fair to disclose patients personal details to the world and is likely to cause damage or distress. b) these details are not of sufficient interest to the public to warrant an intrusion into the privacy of the patients.

The below link sets out this exemption in full.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/40

Breach of Patient confidentiality

Please note that the identification of patients is also a breach of the common law duty of confidence. A patient who has been identified could make a claim against the NHSBSA or yourself for the disclosure of the confidential information.

The information requested is therefore being withheld as it falls under the exemption in section 41(1) ‘Information provided in confidence’ of the Freedom of Information Act.

The below link sets out this exemption in full.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/41

Licenced Prescribing

Number of Items

Under section 21 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you. The information you requested is available from the “PCA Monthly Drug Data” at the following web links:

2019 to 2020

http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/3494.aspx

2021 (Up to November)

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/prescription-cost-analysis-pca-monthly-data

You will need to view all the rows containing product of interest to you by searching (press “Ctrl” and “F” keys together) Column D. You can then calculate the totals you require from this information. Alternative, you can filter the “BNF Chemical Name” or “BNF_CHEMICAL_SUBSTANCE” columns and search the below, which make up the NHS Licenced drugs:

• Cannabidiol chemical substance is only available as oral solution sugar free • Dronabinol/cannabidiol chemical substance is only available as oromucosal spray • Nabilone chemical substance is only available as capsules.

Number of Patients

A copy of the information is attached. Note the above regarding withholding figures where the number of patients falls below 5.

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.

ePACT2

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.

Data Exclusions

• 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.

Time Period • Calendar year 2019 (January to December) • Calendar year 2020 (January to December) • Calendar year 2021 (Part only – January to November) only months available

Organisation data

Data is based on England prescribing only and may include items prescribed in England but dispensed in Wales, Scotland, Guernsey / Alderney, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Drugs

The data is for the following BNF Chemical Substances: • Nabilone (BNF 0406000R0) • Dronabinol/cannabidiol (BNF 1002020Y0) • Cannabidiol (BNF 0408010AM)

Number of unique identified patients

The patient count figures are based on a distinct count of NHS number as captured from the prescription image. The figures for the number of identifiable patients should not be combined and reported at any other level than provided as this may result in the double-counting of patients. For example, a single patient could appear in the results for multiple calendar years. Patient Identified
Where patient identifiable figures have been reported they are based on the information captured during the prescription processing activities. Please note, patient details cannot be captured from every prescription form and based on the criteria used for this analysis, patient information (NHS number) was only available for 75.81% of prescription items. Data Queries

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data please contact DataServicesSupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact nhsbsa.communicationsteam@nhs.net. 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 2022” This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence:

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

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.