Investigate variation in published NHS medicines activity.

Prepare medicines optimisation discussions with a clear account of what the published sources show, where they report activity and which periods can be compared. Published activity raises questions for investigation; it does not establish clinical appropriateness or explain local decisions.

Where and how much

NHS Analytics brings together published community prescribing and hospital medicines activity and cost, from national to local organisations. Examine items, cost and reimbursement reference prices from the Drug Tariff to inform comparisons.

Community dispensing and hospital medicines-issued measures remain separate. Indicative hospital cost is not actual net expenditure because confidential discounts and rebates are not represented. A gap in a source is not evidence of no activity.

When activity changed

NHS Intelligence places published NHS activity on a timeline, with positive decisions from the relevant UK HTA body marked for context. Choose the nation, source, organisation level, presentation, measure and period, then export the view for discussion. The markers are historical context, not evidence that a decision caused a change in activity.

The Governance page explains how findings are checked.

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