Access for registered users via ePACT2.
PDPI provides information on a practice’s prescribing habits and costs. This enables a practice to compare and manage their prescribing performance against national and commissioner or provider comparators.
The PDPI extract only contains data for prescribers that are directly attached to a practice.
Report notes
The data:
- is based on what was prescribed in England and dispensed in England
- includes NHS prescriptions which have been dispensed in the community
- excludes items prescribed in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland which have been dispensed in England
If a prescription was issued, but not presented for dispensing or was not submitted to NHS Prescription Services by the dispenser, then it is not included in the data provided.
Items - shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed.
Quantity - normally shows the quantity of a product prescribed. However, where a product is packed in a 'special container' (see Drug Tariff Part II Clause 10), the pharmacist is not required to split the pack and may supply the number of containers or original packs which provide the quantity nearest to that prescribed.
In some circumstances these items show quantity as the number of units supplied, meaning one or 2, even though a pack may contain 56 tablets. This category includes preparations which are:
- sterile
- effervescent or hygroscopic
- liquid preparations for addition to bath water
- coal tar preparations
- viscous external preparations
- reconstituted from granules or powder, resulting in a liquid of limited stability
- preparations packed in a:
- collapsible tube
- pressurised aerosol
- spray
- puffer pack
- squeeze pack
- castor
- shaker
- roll-on bottle
- drop bottle
- container with an integral means of application
- any other container from which it is not practicable to dispense the exact quantity ordered
Quantity x Items - the quantity multiplied by number of prescribed items.
Net Ingredient cost (NIC) - is the basic price of a drug as stated in Part II Clause 8 of the Drug Tariff.
From April 2024, Actual Cost is based on the Net Ingredient Cost of the item(s) supplied, less the appropriate discount rate of the prescribed product plus Payment for Consumables, Out of Pocket Expenses and Payment for Containers.
Prior to April 2024 Actual Cost - was the basic price of the drug less the National Average Discount Percentage (NADP) plus Payment for Consumables (previously known container allowance), Out of Pocket Expenses and Payment for Containers. The calculation for the discount amount is the basic price multiplied by the NADP.
Actual Cost only relates to England.
OOPE (Out of Pocket Expenses) - this where in exceptional circumstances, out-of-pocket expenses have been incurred in obtaining a drug, appliance or chemical reagent other than those priced in Part VIIIA Category A and M, Part VIIIB, Part IXA, Part IXR of the Tariff and all other specials and imported products not listed and not required to be frequently supplied by the contractor, or where out-of-pocket expenses have been incurred in obtaining oxygen from a manufacturer, wholesaler or supplier specially for supply against a prescription, where such expenses on any occasion exceed 50p payment of the full amount may be made where the contractor sends a claim giving particulars to the Pricing Authority on the appropriate prescription form. The endorsement shall be ‘XP’ or ‘OOP’ to indicate the contractor has taken all reasonable steps to avoid claiming.
Payment for Containers - re-imbursement payment which is paid for each prescription item supplied where the quantity ordered is outside the pack size for the product.
BNF (British National Formulary) - BNF Code is a 15 digit code. The first 7 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.
The NHS Prescription Services has created pseudo BNF chapters, which are not published, for items not included in BNF chapters 1 to 15. The majority of such items are dressings and appliances, which the NHS Prescription Services has classified into 4 pseudo BNF chapters 20 to 23.
What is included in Practice Detailed Prescribing Information (PDPI)
There are 12 views available to select depending on level of access
- Prescribing information at Practice level
- Prescribing information at Prescriber level ordered by BNF
- Prescribing information at Prescriber level ordered by Prescriber
- Dispensing information at Practice level
- Dispensing Information at Prescriber level ordered by BNF
- Dispensing Information at Prescriber level ordered by Prescriber
- Summarised prescribing information at Practice level
- Summarised prescribing information at Prescriber level ordered by BNF
- Summarised prescribing information at Prescriber level ordered by Prescriber
- Summarised dispensing information at Practice level
- Summarised dispensing information at Prescriber level ordered by BNF
- Summarised dispensing information at Prescriber level ordered by Prescriber