Data by Prescriber Location - September 2024

Each NHS Health Board has a unique nine digit numeric code which can be used to link the prescribing data file to the health board reference file. Health Board labels

Each GP practice has a unique five digit numeric practice code which can be used to link the prescribing data file to the GP practice reference file. Prescriptions that originated from a dentist surgery have been assigned to code 99999. Prescriptions that originated from a hospital have been as assigned to code 99998. Within the dataset, unallocated practice codes have been assigned to code 99997. Prescriptions that originated from a community pharmacy have been assigned to code 99996. GP Practice labels

The dm+d code is a product code from the dictionary of medicines and devices which is in use across the NHS. This is a new field introduced with the publication of May 2023 data onwards.

The BNF Item 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. 11 The BNF Item Code takes the following form: • Characters 1 & 2 show BNF chapter • 3 & 4 show the BNF section • 5 & 6 show the BNF paragraph • 7 shows the BNF sub-paragraph • 8 & 9 show the chemical substance • 10 & 11 show the product • 12 & 13 show the strength and formulation • 14 & 15 show the link to the generic equivalent product o Where the product is a generic, the 14th and 15th characters will be the same as the 12th and 13th character. o Where the product is a brand, the 14th and 15th characters will be the same as the generic equivalent (if this exists). o Where the product is a brand and a generic equivalent does not exist, the 14th and 15th characters will be “A0”. There are items within the prescribing dataset (mainly from the additional chapters that are included as appendices within the BNF or not listed in the BNF) that have a shorter BNF item code which has been manually input to allow users of the data to identify the BNF chapter, BNF section, BNF paragraph, and BNF sub-paragraph an item aligns to. These items follow the numbering convention above for the initial six digits. Items with no BNF item code attributed have not been included within the dataset. For a sample month this equated to 0.4% of all paid items. BNF Reference file

The drug represented by the BNF item code, detailing the product name, formulation and strength. NHS Scotland has introduced a new dispensing contractor payment process and system. Due to this new system, data from May 2023 onwards may not be directly comparable to data published previously and should be interpreted with caution. One area of note is that BNF Item Descriptions have changed. Some will not match to those with the same BNF Item code from April 2023 data and earlier.

The dm+d record type for the prescribed item. AMP (Actual Medicinal Product) and AMPP (Actual Medicinal Product Pack) provide real product descriptions. They describe a medicine or device that has been made available by a specific manufacturer or supplier. VMP (Virtual Medicinal Product) and VMPP (Virtual Medicinal Product Pack) provide a generic description of the medication prescribed. It describes a general class of medicine or device that may be available as an “actual” product. This is a new field introduced with the publication of May 2023 data onwards.

The number of paid items relates to the number of prescription items dispensed and for which the dispenser has been reimbursed. An item is an individual product dispensed, e.g. 100 aspirin tablets of 300mg. There should be a maximum of three line items on a prescription; this should be three individual products defined by active ingredient, formulation type and strength for medicines, with appropriate parallel measures for appliances. A compounded product with a known formula will count as one item despite the number of ingredients.

Paid quantity is the total quantity of an individual item for which the dispenser has been reimbursed, e.g. 100 tablets. NHS Scotland has introduced a new dispensing contractor payment process and system. Due to this new system, data from May 2023 onwards may not be directly 13 comparable to data published previously and should be interpreted with caution. One area of note is the paid quantity for items with certain formulations may appear significantly higher in data from May 2023 onwards. For example; 1 item of an inhaler may have previously shown a paid quantity of 2 per item. Going forward, this quantity may increase to 240 for 1 item. In these instances, the increased quantity reflects the number of doses or uses within a single item, rather than the quantity of the item itself (e.g. 1 inhaler).

Paid Gross Ingredient Cost is the reimbursement cost for the paid quantity based upon the NHS basic price as listed in the Scottish drug tariff or manufacturer’s price list. The figures are in £s and pence. The Scottish Gross Ingredient Cost is equivalent to the UK Net Ingredient Cost.

The month and year in which payment is claimed, formatted as yyyymm e.g. '202401'