HC Deb 03 February 1999 vol 324 cc666-8W
Mr. Peter Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the average proportion of non-generic drug prescriptions in 1997–98 in(a) prescribing practices and (b) dispensing practices; [68445]

(2) what were the average comparative costs of drugs per patient in 1997–98 in (a) prescribing practices and (b) dispensing practices; [68444]

(3) what was the cost to the NHS in 1997–98 of drugs (a) prescribed by doctors and (b) dispensed by doctors; [68442]

(4) what was the average cost of non-generic drugs in 1997–98 in (a) NHS hospitals, (b) pharmacies and (c) dispensing practices. [68449]

Mr. Denham

The available information is shown in the table.

Drugs prescribed in general practice1 in England and dispensed in the community, 1997–982
Prescribing Practices3 Dispensing practices4
Average net ingredient cost5 per patient6 £78 £118
Average net ingredient cost per non generic item prescribed7 £11.42 £10.49
Percentage of prescribed items which were non generic7 34 per cent. 74 per cent.
Total net ingredient cost £3,791 million £387 million
1 Information for items prescribed and dispensed in National Health Service hospitals is not available.
2 The prescription information was obtained from the Prescribing Analyses and Cost (PACT) system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions written by general practitioners and Practice Nurses in England which are dispensed in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. All figures exclude dressings and appliances.
3 Drugs prescribed by prescribing practices which are dispensed by community pharmacists.
4 Includes drugs prescribed by dispensing practices which are dispensed by community pharmacists.
5 The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income.
6 The number of patients is derived from patient lists and includes temporary patients. The patient list size is based on information submitted by practices to the Prescription Pricing Authority. List size as at March 1998 has been used. Figures for average net ingredient cost per patient have been rounded to the nearest £.
7 In PACT, prescription items can be prescribed generically, and recorded as a generic, but dispensed and reimbursed as a proprietary because a generic does not exist. The percentage of non generic drugs prescribed in the reply does not include these items.

Mr. Peter Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the total NHS expenditure on drugs in 1997–98; [68441]

(2) what was the total (a) expenditure and (b) allocation for drugs in (i) the NHS and (ii) each health authority in 1997–98. [68451]

Mr. Denham

In 1997–98 total National Health Service expenditure on drugs was £5,195 million. Drugs prescribed by Family Health Services (FHS) practitioners account for £4,107 million of the total, and those prescribed by hospital and community health service (HCHS) providers account for £1,088 million.

The total allocation for FHS drugs (which includes an amount retained centrally) in 1997–98 was £4,123 million. The table shows health authority allocations and expenditure for FHS drugs.

HCHS allocations do not specify an amount for drugs. HCHS expenditure on drugs occurs mainly in NHS trusts and cannot be attributed accurately to health authorities.

FHS allocation and expenditure for drugs by health authority, 1997–98
£000
Health authority Allocation 1 Expenditure 2
Avon 72,863 70,898
Barking and Havering 29,596 29,994
Barnet 24,611 25,517
Barnsley 21,800 22,365
Bedfordshire 42,072 42,582
Berkshire 56,145 56,871
Birmingham 85,921 86,071
Bradford 39,235 39,364
Brent and Harrow 35,012 35,757
Bromley 22,748 23,336
Buckinghamshire 47,904 47,633
Bury and Rochdale 33,583 34,711
Calderdale and Kirklees 49,029 50,171
Cambridge and Huntingdon 31,682 33,419
Camden and Islington 26,444 26,442
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 46,136 47,567
County Durham 55,412 54,583
Coventry 25,169 25,343
Croydon 23,416 23,270
Doncaster 29,608 29,991
Dorset 63,075 62,823
Dudley 24,667 25,402
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 50,425 50,817
East and North Hertfordshire 38,530 39,906
East Kent 53,012 55,032
East Lancashire 47,234 49,032
East London and City 46,236 47,351
East Norfolk 55,020 55,750
East Riding 48,568 50,232
East Surrey 32,672 33,132
East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 65,991 67,956
Enfield and Haringey 34,227 36,014
Gateshead and South Tyneside 32,304 31,649
Gloucestershire 44,565 46,448
Greenwich and Bexley 32,811 32,785
Herefordshire 12,745 12,686
Hillingdon 17,857 18,005
Isle of Wight 12,488 12,813
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 23,622 23,398
Kingston and Richmond 24,081 24,036
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 54,492 54,025
Leeds 62,028 63,887
Leicestershire 71,977 74,334
Lincolnshire 56,806 58,541
Liverpool 44,574 46,192
Manchester 42,076 44,669
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 44,988 45,307
Morecambe Bay 29,677 29,970
FHS allocation and expenditure for drugs by health authority, 1997–98
£000
Health authority Allocation 1 Expenditure 2
Newcastle and North Tyneside 40,889 40,223
North and East Devon 40,287 40,116
North and Mid Hampshire 37,452 38,289
North Cheshire 26,898 27,885
North Cumbria 26,605 27,238
North Derbyshire 30,722 30,189
North Essex 68,922 70,824
North Nottinghamshire 32,658 33,527
North Staffordshire 38,760 38,988
North West Anglia 33,275 34,352
North West Lancashire 44,073 44,947
North Yorkshire 57,949 57,756
Northamptonshire 45,322 46,049
Northumberland 27,498 27,582
Nottingham 47,582 48,419
Oxfordshire 41,685 41,368
Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire 42,524 43,609
Redbridge and Waltham Forest 32,678 32,945
Rotherham 21,119 21,978
Salford and Trafford 42,771 44,071
Sandwell 24,524 24,655
Sefton 26,508 26,933
Sheffield 43,836 43,605
Shropshire 35,403 36,900
Solihull 18,114 17,441
Somerset 39,109 39,251
South and West Devon 53,144 53,626
South Cheshire 57,370 59,522
Southern Derbyshire 46,086 46,406
South Essex 53,674 55,234
South Humber 27,403 27,784
South Lancashire 26,282 27,208
South Staffordshire 43,844 45,543
Southampton and South-West Hampshire 43,285 44,973
St. Helens and Knowsley 34,184 35,527
Stockport 26,145 27,170
Suffolk 55,761 58,078
Sunderland 27,077 27,036
Tees 50,773 51,773
Wakefield 27,863 27,968
Walsall 22,107 22,020
Warwickshire 41,751 42,416
West Hertfordshire 39,083 38,620
West Kent 77,214 78,451
West Pennine 38,095 39,341
West Surrey 49,217 50,034
West Sussex 61,163 62,300
Wigan and Bolton 49,533 51,142
Wiltshire 44,693 45,921
Wirral 32,852 33,632
Wolverhampton 21,178 21,602
Worcestershire 40,426 40,921

Source:

1EL(96)107

2 PPA PACT Data

Note:

Figures relate to prescriptions dispensed in 1997–98, which were paid for in a different period (approx. June 1997 to May 1998)

Back to