FOI-03896

Request   You asked us:   Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request a repeat of the dataset previously published by NHSBSA under referenc e FOI-03702,  but for the following data months:   February 2026   March 2026   Please provide the same dataset structure as supplied in FOI-03702.   The output should contain the following seven columns, using the same column headers as FOI-03702:   YEAR_MONTH   DISPENSER_CODE   BNF_PRESENTATION_CODE   TOTAL_QUANTITY   ITEMS   NIC_GBP   PAID_SNOMED_CONCEPT_ID   For clarity:   BNF_PRESENTATION_CODE is the NHSBSA-assigned prescribed BNF presentation code associated with the presc ribed item.   PAID_SNOMED_CONCEPT_ID is the Paid dm+d code, ie the dm+d / SNOMED identifier for the medicine or appliance dispensed a nd reimbursed by NHSBSA. (As before, the prescribed dm+d code is not required).   This request is intended to repeat FOI-03702 for the February 2026 and March 2026 data months, with the same output structure and column headers.   Please provide the data in  .csv format , split into multiple files if required due to file size.   The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 10 June 2026.   We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.   Our response   I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested, and a copy has been published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:   https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-03894   Due to the large size of the files, we cannot email these to you.   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   The data source was the NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.   Exclusions   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.   The dataset also excludes items supplied as part of a Pharmacy First consultation or service        Please note data for drugs flagged in our database as Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs have been excluded from this dataset for information security reasons to prevent the identification of organisations with high levels of controlled drug dispensing.   The drug information in this request is from two different views, the BNF_PRESENTATION_CODE is the prescribed drug captured from the prescription. The PAID_SNOMED_CONCEPT_ID is a view taken after some processing, be aware there may be differences.   Time Period   February and March 2026   Organisation Data   The data provided is for prescriptions dispensed in England.   Data Queries   Please contact  [email protected]  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  [email protected] . 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:  “Data Warehouse, 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.