Request

I am sending this request under the Freedom of Information Act.

1. Please state the total number of people prescribed opioid analgesics (BNF 04070) in the community in England in each of the following years: a) 2018, b) 2019, c) 2020, d) 2021 and e) 2022 so far.

2. Please state the total number of people prescribed opioid analgesics (BNF 04070) in the community in England in:
   a) 2020, broken down by month
   b) 2021, broken down by month
   c) 2022 so far, broken down by month

3. Please state the total number of items of opioid analgesics (BNF 04070) prescribed in the community in England in each of the following years: a) 2018, b) 2019, c) 2020, d) 2021 and e) 2022 so far.

4. Please state the total number of items of opioid analgesics (BNF 04070) prescribed in the community in England in:
   a) 2020, broken down by month
   b) 2021, broken down by month
   c) 2022 so far, broken down by month

On 16 June 2022 you clarified your request as follows

Sorry my mistake - I do mean 040702 opioid analgesics.

Response

A copy of the information is attached. Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data.

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: ePACT2.

Data in ePACT2 is sourced from the NHSBSA 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

Shows number of items and patient counts for items prescribed in BNF paragraph 040702 Opioid analgesics.

Time Period

Calendar year data for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and part of 2022 (January 22 to April 22 only). Monthly data from January 2020 to April 2022.

Organisation Data

The data is at national level and is for items prescribed in England and dispensed in the community.

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 time periods.

Number of items where patient identified

Patient identifiable figures are based on the information captured during the prescription processing activities. Please note, patient details cannot be captured from every prescription form. The number of items where a patient has been able to be identified is shown here.

Number of items where patient not identified

Patient identifiable figures are based on the information captured during the prescription processing activities. Patient details cannot be captured from every prescription form and the number of items where a patient has been unable to be identified are shown here.

Total Items

This is the total number of items regardless of whether a patient has been identified or not. Items shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed.

Data Queries

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data please contact foidata@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: “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.