1. Home
  2. Themes
  3. Community Prescribing & Dispensing
  4. English Prescribing Dataset (EPD)

English Prescribing Dataset (EPD)

Followers
1
community_prescribing_dispensing

Community Prescribing & Dispensing

Datasets on the prescribing and dispensing of medicines in the community

read more

Licence

OGL-UK-3.0

Report an issue

English Prescribing Dataset (EPD)

Important: Coming Soon: Transition to the English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) with SNOMED CT Codes

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is preparing to transition to the English Prescribing Dataset (EPD), with Systematised Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) codes as the primary dataset.

To ensure a smooth transition, both versions will be available for three months following the initial publication—currently expected in May 2025 (subject to change). After this period, only the EPD with SNOMED CT codes will be published.

We will also be addressing several data issues:

  • YEAR_MONTH will be updated to be ISO-compliant
  • ICB_NAME will no longer be truncated
  • PCO_NAME will retain its code at the end but will no longer be truncated
  • NIC values will be provided to 2 decimal places
  • ACTUAL_COST values will be provided to 5 decimal places
  • ADQUSAGE values will be provided to 5 decimal places
  • ADQUSAGE will be renamed ADQ_USAGE

Dataset Description

The English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) is a comprehensive monthly dataset capturing all prescriptions issued by NHS primary care prescribers in England and dispensed in the community. This includes prescriptions from GPs, nurses, and other authorised primary care prescribers. The dataset is openly available via the NHS Business Services Authority’s (NHSBSA) Open Data Portal, promoting transparency and enabling widespread analysis.

With approximately 17 million rows of data added each month, the EPD provides one of the most detailed views of NHS prescribing activity of England. It is a crucial resource for analysing prescribing trends, costs, and behaviours at both national and local levels.

Key Features

  • Practice-Level Information: Each record is linked to a specific NHS GP practice or primary care organisation, enabling local-level analysis.
  • BNF and SNOMED CT Codes: Prescriptions are classified using Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT), British National Formulary (BNF) codes, and Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d), ensuring standardised identification and interoperability across NHS systems.
  • Prescription Costs: Captures the financial cost associated with each prescription, reflecting reimbursement claims.
  • Quantities Dispensed: Provides data on the volume of items prescribed and dispensed.
  • Data Granularity: The dataset offers detailed insights down to the individual prescription level, allowing in-depth analyses of prescribing patterns and trends.

Additional Dataset Guidance: Further details on this dataset can be found in the English Prescribing Dataset Release Guidance v003.odt.

Caveats

Information:

Data Structure and Code changes

  • The SNOMED CT and BNF codes linked to a product may change over time. As the dataset is static, the codes within each report are only relevant to the specific month of publication.
  • More detailed information on the BNF hierarchical structure is available for reference (BNF Code Information Historic Dataset on the NHSBSA Open Data Portal). However, this data is taken from a different date point and does not directly align with the EPD dataset.
Information:

Exclusion of Medicines Supplied Under Patient Group Directions (PGDs)

The EPD dataset does not capture any medicines that are supplied under PGDs, (structured protocols allowing specific healthcare professionals (like pharmacists) to supply or administer medicines without a prescription). Services operating under PGDs that are excluded from EPD:

  • Pharmacy First Clinical Pathways (PFCP) – e.g. treatments for minor ailments
  • Contraception services
  • Smoking cessation support
  • Urgent medicines supply
  • Seasonal flu vaccinations

These services are tracked separately. For more insights into these areas:

Information:

Exclusion of Dental Prescribing

Prescriptions issued by dentists and dispensed in the community are not included in the EPD dataset.

Information:

Hospital Prescribing: Site Code vs. Cost Centre

There is a distinction in hospital prescribing data included in EPD:

  • Excluded: Items prescribed using Hospital Site codes and dispensed in the community
  • Included: Items prescribed using Hospital Cost Centre codes, even if dispensed in the community

This means that although both may represent hospital-originated prescriptions, only those tied to cost centres are within EPD scope. For further analysis of Hospital Site code prescribing, refer to the Hospital Prescribing Dispensed in the Community Dataset, which excludes Hospital Cost Centre data to avoid duplication.

Information:

Financial Data Methodology

Information:

SNOMED CT and BNF Code Mapping

  • More detailed mapping of medicine and appliance products with their associated SNOMED CT and BNF codes is available at BNF SNOMED mapping | NHSBSA. The timing of these reports is aligned to the monthly EPD dataset.

Enquiries

Citing and Reusing This Data

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Data warehouse
Contact NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
Version v001
State active
Last Updated 29 April 2025, 14:46 (UTC+00:00)
Created 31 March 2020, 22:07 (UTC+00:00)