ICBs are responsible for setting a prescribing budget against each GP practice within their organisation.
Annual prescribing budgets
Following the completion of March’s prescribing data, NHS Prescription Services will send an annual prescribing budget request to the senior authorised signatory at the ICB, or a delegated person on their behalf.
The request of information will be sent in the form of a spreadsheet with the following information:
- GP practice code
- GP practice name
- first 2 lines of GP practice address
- previous year’s prescribing budget total (in pounds)
The ICB will be required to complete and return this spreadsheet with the following information:
- current year’s prescribing budget total (in pounds)
- any relevant changes to practice name and address
If any practices included are not the responsibility of your ICB then highlight this on the spreadsheet - advising the responsible organisation, if known.
If any GP practices have been omitted, add the details to the bottom of the spreadsheet. Prescribing budgets are not required for Out of Hours Services (OOH) and are also non mandatory for walk in centres (WIC) but can be included, if needed.
Mid-year amendments
Prescribing budgets can be amended during the processing of the financial year’s prescriptions. In order to amend the prescribing budget the following information must be supplied by the senior authorised signatory:
- GP practice code
- original budget amount (in pounds)
- amended budget amount (in pounds)
- date of change
This information can be sent by email to prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
When changing prescribing budgets mid-year due to changes in partnerships, for example GP practices merging, the expenditure to date should be considered when providing any updates.