Introduction
This section of the report aims to provide users with an evidence-based assessment of the quality of the publication outputs. The quality of the outputs is assessed based on the 9 European Statistical System (ESS) quality dimensions and principles.
In doing so, this meets the NHS Business Services Authority's (NHSBSA's) obligation to comply with the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The Code of Practice is based on 3 pillars:
- Trustworthiness, which is about having confidence in the people and organisations that produce statistics and data.
- Quality, which is about using data and methods that produce assured statistics.
- Value, which is about producing statistics that support society’s need for information.
Due to the provisional nature of some of the data included in the innovation scorecard, some figures may be revised from publication to publication as issues are uncovered and resolved. Users should always use the figures in the latest publication to ensure they are the most up-to-date figures available.
You can find the full Code of Practice for Statistics on the UKSA website.
Accuracy and reliability
Accuracy and reliability relate to the proximity between an estimate and the unknown true value.
Statistics in this publication are based on data from:
- English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) published by the NHSBSA
- Secondary Care Medicines Data (SCMD) supplied by Rx-Info and published by the NHSBSA
- Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data from NHS England
- population data from the Office for National Statistics
- Defined Daily Doses (DDD) from World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology
Relevance
Relevance is the degree to which the statistical product meets user needs in both coverage and content.
Medicines that meet the inclusion criteria of the Innovation Scorecard are presented at national (England), NHS region, integrated care board (ICB), sub-ICB locations, and NHS trust levels, by calendar quarter.
The medicine groupings are available in a separate dashboard on the web platform tool and users can see both the grouped uptake and the values for each medicine within the grouping. Medicines that form part of these medicine groupings will not be included in the individual medicine dashboard.
The web platform tool shows the use of individual medicines and medicine groupings over time by calendar quarter, and at different NHS organisation levels.
Comparability and coherence
Coherence is the degree to which data that is derived from different sources or methods, but refers to the same topic, are similar. Comparability is the degree to which data can be compared over time and domain.
There will be ongoing developments with each Innovation Scorecard publication. Users should always use the figures in the latest publication to ensure they are the most up-to-date figures available. Previous Innovation Scorecard publications can be found on the NHS England NICE Technology Appraisals in the NHS in England Innovation Scorecard webpages.
The prescription services data presented here is different from data presented in the NHSBSA publications based on the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. This is because the PCA database is based on all prescriptions written in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England only, and includes prescriptions written by dentists and hospital doctors.
The data reporting units such as Assumed Daily Doses (ADDs), DDDs or mgs in this publication will not match other prescribing data published by the NHSBSA, which are generally reported as items and cost.
Users can misinterpret the data as relating to numbers of patients. Therefore, care should be taken as the data relates to volumes of medicines, not directly to the number of individuals.
Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of changes in available medicines and changes in NHS practice. For example, a reduction in items dispensed for a particular medicine may be due to the introduction of alternative medicines, or a change in prescribing behaviour, especially in the length of treatment each item is intended to cover.
Additionally, a change in prescribing practice could also be due to drug safety updates as published by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and its independent advisor the Commission on Human Medicines.
Details of drug safety updates are published online on the gov.uk website.
Secondary care medicines data (SCMD) is processed pharmacy stock control data in standardised format. The data records monthly quantities issued, which may not reflect the timing and quantity of medicine use. Data is provisional and historical use data can be updated due to processes within trusts' stock control systems. It is possible for the data to show negative use of a medicine where supply made in a previous period has been returned in a subsequent one.
Local level data (regions, ICBs, trusts) will not add up to national data due to unidentified organisations which are included in the national totals but not against local level organisations.
NHS organisations differ widely in the populations they serve. Therefore data at national (England), NHS region, and ICB levels are standardised by the estimated resident populations.
For hospital trusts data the number of finished consultant episode (FCE) days of hospital care for the time period under consideration, taken from the HES data, has been used to standardise the data. The values vary significantly, with more specialist hospitals such as the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust reporting fewer than 40,000 days of hospital care per year. This is contrast to larger trusts such as Bart’s Health NHS Trust which reports over 700,000 days of hospital care per year.
Trust level data should not be compared with the national, region, or ICB data due to the differing data sources and standardisation methodologies applied.
This scorecard covers some highly specialised medicines so differences in use across organisations are to be expected.
Timeliness and punctuality
Timeliness refers to the time gap between publication and the reference period. Punctuality refers to the gap between planned and actual publication dates.
This report is published twice a year, previously quarterly, and reports on data that is approximately 4 months in arrears. The publication date is determined by the availability of the data and allows adequate time for the compilation of the report including all other publication outputs.
New medicines with a positive recommendation on published TAs are made available on the Innovation Scorecard approximately 4 months in arrears.
Organisational changes are published in line with the reporting periods of the Innovation Scorecard and are not relative to the publication dates of the releases. This means that an organisational change that takes effect from April 2021 will only be reflected from the October 2021 release of the Innovation Scorecard onwards. Where possible, historic data is updated on the new releases.
New and amended DDDs, including those for combined products, are released twice annually around May and December. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) searchable index with DDDs is updated in January. When new or amended DDD figures take effect in the Innovation Scorecard, historical data is updated accordingly for quarters included in the publication.
This publication has been released in line with the pre-announced publication date and is therefore considered to be punctual.
Accessibility and clarity
Accessibility is the ease with which users can access the data, also reflecting the format in which the data are available and the availability of supporting information. Clarity refers to the quality and sufficiency of the metadata, illustrations, and accompanying advice.
This publication uses open data published by the NHSBSA.
The publication may be requested in large print or other formats through the NHSBSA accessibility email at accessibility@nhsbsa.nhs.uk or by telephone at 0191 203 5318. These contact details are only for accessibility queries. You can find more information about call charges on the NHSBSA contact webpages.
This report provides a high-level summary of the medicines reported on for the current publication as well as some analysis of utilisation comparing the current 12 months with the previous 12 months.
Also available is a key points infographic, a glossary and guidance chapter, as well as some contextual information where applicable.
Guidance documents on details of the underlying data are provided as resources of the publication.
Data is presented on an interactive web platform tool following an initial release in January 2017. This interactive tool has been developed in response to a user consultation undertaken in early 2016 specifically to enhance user experience in accessing the data. The interactive tool aims to make it easier for commissioners and users to find information on what medicines are available in their region and allow for easier comparison with other areas.
User feedback is welcomed to inform future developments.
Assessment of user needs and perceptions
This section describes the processes for finding out about users and uses and their views on the Innovation Scorecard publication.
NHS England conducted a user survey of the Innovation Scorecard publication in February 2016 to collect feedback on the content and display of the publication. The results of the survey will be used to ensure the publication remains relevant to users. Some of the developments in response to the feedback received include:
- key points infographic to summarise the contents of the publication
- a web platform tool to enhance user experience in accessing the data
- refreshed reports with user-friendly commentary and charts
- guidance documents on the underlying data
The Innovation Scorecard strategic group and technical working group consist of a range of stakeholders whose views have been used to continuously develop this publication.
Performance cost and respondent burden
This section describes the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy of the statistical output.
The publication uses existing administrative sources. The figures used in this publication are collected as part of the process of reimbursing dispensers for drugs supplied and monitoring of medicine use within hospitals. For hospital dispensing data, the trusts are not compelled to provide the data and do so voluntarily. HES data is from an existing administrative source.
Information about the administrative sources and their use for statistical purposes can be found on the NHSBSA Official Statistics team's policies and procedures webpage and in the NHS England Statement of Administrative Sources.
Confidentiality, transparency, and security
This section describes the procedures and policy used to ensure sound confidentiality, security, and transparent practices.
The data contained in this publication are official statistics. The code of practice for official statistics is followed throughout this publication, from collecting the data to publishing. Further details can be found in the UKSA code of practice for statistics.
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