Figures are based on the 'Net Ingredient' cost of drugs prescribed.
Net Ingredient cost (NIC) is the basic price of a drug as stated in Part II Clause 8 of the Drug Tariff.
The data provided is for prescriptions issued by prescribers in England only which have been dispensed in the community.
All Hospitals prescriptions, including those dispensed in the community, private prescriptions and dental prescribing, are included in the data.
Items show the number of times a product appears on a prescription form.
What is included in prescribing analysis report
There are 6 types of report available to view, which are:
- Comparison of cost per ASTRO PU
- Prescribing costs by BNF Level
- Prescribing costs, volume and average cost per item
- Prescribing trend
- Total practice prescribing
- Top 20 leading drugs
1. Comparison of cost per ASTRO PU
Comparison of NIC per Astro-PU between - Commissioner / Provider, ICB and England or
between Practice, Commissioner / Provider and England.
- Commissioner / Provider - monthly
- Practice - monthly
- Commissioner / Provider - quarterly
- Practice – quarterly
This report will show comparison of cost per Astro PU of the selected organisation in relation to values against its parent organisation and National level. This will be for a period of 13 months in case of monthly reports and for 8 quarters in case of quarterly reports.
The ASTRO PUs are the number of cost based 'age, sex and temporary resident originated prescribing units'.
2. Prescribing Costs by BNF level
This report will lay out an analysis of NIC and Items by BNF chapters or by top 40 BNF section at various Commissioner / Provider and Practice levels in NHS Hierarchy.
- Commissioner / Provider for BNF chapter – monthly
- Practice for BNF chapter – monthly
- Commissioner / Provider for top 40 BNF Section – monthly
- Practice for Top 40 BNF sections – monthly
- Commissioner / Provider for BNF chapter – quarterly
- Practice for BNF chapter – quarterly
- Commissioner / Provider for top 40 BNF section – quarterly
- Practice for Top 40 BNF section - quarterly
3. Prescribing costs, volume and average cost per item
This report will lay out an analysis of total prescribing costs (NIC) and volumes at Commissioner / Provider and Practice level in the NHS Hierarchy.
The report will also show average cost per item (NIC) at the appropriate organisation level.
- Commissioner / Provider – monthly
- Practice – monthly
- Commissioner / Provider – quarterly
- Practice – quarterly
4. Prescribing trend
Prescribing trend for items and NIC, provided as a total or as a breakdown of
BNF therapeutic groups at BNF chapter or BNF section level.
- Commissioner / Provider – monthly
- Practice - monthly
- Commissioner / Provider by BNF chapter – monthly
- Practice by BNF chapter – monthly
- Commissioner / Provide by BNF section – monthly
- Practice by BNF section – monthly
- Commissioner / Provider – quarterly
- Practice – quarterly
- Commissioner / Provider by BNF chapter – quarterly
- Practice by BNF chapter – quarterly
- Commissioner / Provider by BNF section – quarterly
- Practice by BNF section – quarterly
This report will lay out the trend of prescribing costs and items over a period of time. 13 months in the case of monthly reports and 8 quarters in the case of the quarterly reports.
5. Total practice prescribing
This report will show the overall prescribing ascribed to a practice showing the details of GPs, nurses and other prescribers contracted to your practice.
- Practice Prescribing – monthly
- Practice Prescribing – quarterly
6. Top 20 leading drugs by NIC
This report shows the total cost and number of items corresponding to the top 20 cost drugs at various organisation levels:
- England - monthly
- ICB - monthly
- Commissioner / Provider - monthly
- Practice - monthly
- England - quarterly
- ICB - quarterly
- Commissioner / Provider - quarterly
- Practice - quarterly
