Information Governance
Stella House, Goldcrest Way
James Kelly
Newburn Riverside
Newcastle Upon Tyne
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
NE15 8NY
Email: xxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx
Website: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk
Ref: 10297/10444/11695
Date 22 March 2021
Dear Mr Kel y
Subject: Freedom of information request
I am writing to confirm that fol owing a further review of your request we are revising the
response issued to you on 17 September 2020 and 19 October 2020.
‘Dear NHS Business Services Authority, If the NHS could have purchased in bulk
quantities the remaining 60,000 named patients would have continued to benefit from
suitable analgesia which had been guaranteed by June Raine (MHRA) and Caroline Flint
(Minister for Public Health during 2007)!
FOI request:
1. Please supply the names of the licensed Importers and the Chemists who were
reimbursed for the fol owing:
a) South Kent CCG paid £0.46 per tablet during March 2019
b) South Kent CCG paid £3.26 per tablet during April 2019
c) NHS Enfield CCG paid £5.22 per tablet during July and December 2019
2. Please supply copies of al correspondence between NHSBSA, ‘Licensed Importers’,
and the chemists who had been reimbursed for Co-proxamol prescriptions.
3. Please supply copies of al correspondence to any other department within
DOHSC/NHS regarding the erratic pricing of Co-proxamol.’
On 19/8/20 you clarified the fol owing:
‘1. Please supply the names of the licensed Importers and the Chemists who
were reimbursed for the fol owing:
a) South Kent CCG paid £0.46 per tablet during March 2019
b) South Kent CCG paid £3.26 per tablet during April 2019
c) NHS Enfield CCG paid £5.22 per tablet during July and December 2019
2. Please supply copies of al correspondence between NHSBSA, ‘Licensed
Importers’, and the chemists who had been reimbursed for Co-proxamol
prescriptions.
3. Please supply copies of al correspondence to any other department
within DOHSC/NHS regarding the erratic pricing of Co-proxamol.
Al questions relate to the erratic pricing of Co-proxamol, It’s obvious that some importers /
Suppliers are overcharging NHS at an alarming level considering the fact that Co-
proxamol had been available to al CCG’s for just £0.45 pence per prior to the GPhC
inspection on 22nd August 2018!
Example: Figures For August 2018 From:
https://openprescribing.net/al -england/0407010Q0AAAAAA/price-per-unit/?date=2018-08-
01
CCG / Price per tablet
NHS Barnet CCG £7.41
NHS Trafford CCG £5.90
NHS Northern, Easternand Western Devon CCG / £0.99
NHS Bradford Districts CCG / £0.96
NHS Mansfield and
Ashfield CCG / £0.90
NHS East Lancashire CCG / £0.87
N.B.
Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, and Islington Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
have merged as of 1 April 2020 to form North Central London CCG
Revised response
Questions 2 and 3
I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I
have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business
Services Authority. The NHSBSA has not been in contact with DHSC or
“Importers”/Chemists in relation to the prescribing/dispensing of Co-Proxamol.
Our role is to reimburse and remunerate dispensing contractors fol owing the submission
of their dispensed prescriptions we do not engage in any dialogue or correspondence with
“licensed importers.”
If a prescription for Co-Proxamol is submitted to the NHSBSA for payment we wil either
pay the price that is currently listed on our database or the invoice price that is endorsed
by the dispensing contractor on the prescription form. Any information relating to the price
paid for coproxamol tablets may be requested by the DHSC/NHSE&I via NHSBSA
Information Services.
Question 1
Fol owing a further assessment of the data requested we have reached the conclusion that
an individual patient cannot be identified by another person from the requested information
or by using other information.
Therefore please find attached a copy of the information, together with caveats to explain
it.
The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under
the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement:
“ePACT2, NHSBSA Copyright 2020” This information is licenced under the terms of the
Open Government Licence:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.
Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be
protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information
originated.
Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA
Copyright) information.
Data Queries
If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing, or
producing a press article based upon the data please contact xxxxxx.xxxx@xxx.xxx
ensuring you quote the above reference. This is important to ensure that the figures
are not misunderstood or misrepresented.
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision. Please note that general y, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the NHS Business Services
Authority’s complaints procedure.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:-
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Email: xxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please quote the reference
number above in any future.
Yours sincerely
Chris Gooday
Information Governance Manager
cc
Marc Compton, Head of Security and Information Governance