Request

You asked us:

I am requesting information on the prescribing of a particular item. The information relates to medication known as Metronidazole 10% ointment.

I specifically require data relating to how many times this item has been prescribed on the NHS.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 6 August 2025.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

Our response

Under Section 21 of the FOIA we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you.

An overview of all Metronidazole 10% ointment prescribing and dispensing data is available from the following published datasets:

• Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Monthly Administrative Data
• Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Annual Statistics
• RETIRED - English Prescribing Dataset (EPD)
• English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) with SNOMED Code
• Hospital Prescribing Dispensed in the Community

Using the EPD and the Hospital Prescribed in the Community in conjunction with each other you can see a fuller picture of prescribing/dispensing in the community as EPD itself does not hold data on hospital prescribing.

Please note that the presentation itself will only appear in any of the datasets if there has been prescribing for it - if it is not there for a particular month it means it wasn't prescribed.

There are guidance documents on each of the pages with more detailed information on the methodology used in each case but we have included the basic information on each dataset below:

Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) - dispensed in England

For information on prescription items dispensed in the community in England which have been submitted to the NHSBSA for reimbursement. Includes items prescribed in England, Wales, Scotland, Guernsey, Alderney, Jersey, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. Data is released monthly and annually. From January 2014.

The PCA applies a methodology to generically prescribed drugs that are not available to dispense generically. PCA uses reimbursement policy to suggest what drug is dispensed to the patient (not necessarily what was actually dispensed to the patient).

PCA relates to dispensing within a community setting and does not include hospital dispensing data, however PCA data does include hospital prescribing that has been dispensed in the community in England.

English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) - prescribed in England

For information on prescription items prescribed in the community in England and dispensed in England, Wales, Scotland, Guernsey, Alderney, Jersey, and the Isle of Man. Monthly data from January 2014.

As this is a prescribed view, generic prescribing is represented under the generic drug, not a brand. The PCA may report the brand when the methodology is applied.

Note that after August 2025 this data set will only be published with the version that includes SNOMED codes.

Hospital Prescribing Dispensed in the Community - prescribed in England

Items prescribed by Hospital Trust Units and dispensed in the community. Monthly data from December 2016.

The data provided is based on England Hospital Trust prescribing only and may include items prescribed in England but dispensed in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney and the Isle of Man.

Please see the following link to view the section 21 in full - Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Section 21

Publishing this response

Please note that this information will be published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-03055

Your personal details will be removed from the published response.