@nhsbsa
An Arm’s Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care, providing a range of critical central services to NHS organisations, NHS contractors, patients, and the public. https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk
No Smoking Day is coming up on 11 March!
You can access crucial support on your journey via the NHS Smoking Cessation Service ➡️ nhsbsa.nhs.uk/pharmacies-gp-practices-and-appliance-contractors/dispensing-contractors-information/nhs-smoking-cessation-service-referral-secondary-care-community-pharmacy
Read more: media.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/press-releas...
The most deprived areas had 1.77 times as many identified patients receiving dependency-forming medications as the least deprived areas.
Prescribing of dependency-forming medicines was most prevalent in female patients aged 60 to 64 years, with an estimated 292,000 identified patients.
The cost of dependency-forming medicines prescribed was £80 million. This represents a 12% decrease from Q3 2024/25.
Opioid drugs were the most prescribed dependency-forming medicines, with 9.78 million items prescribed at a cost of £64.1 million.
There were 16.8 million items for dependency-forming medicines prescribed to an estimated 4.37 million identified patients. This is a 0.6% decrease in the number of items prescribed and a 0.4% decrease in the number of identified patients compared with Q3 2024/25.
Read our latest official statistics on dependency-forming medicines, covering prescriptions of #Opioids, #Gabapentinoids, #Benzodiazepines, and #ZDrugs between October and December 2025.
🧵 A thread with more on our findings:
The number of items prescribed of drugs used in psychoses and related disorders increased by 1.5% to 3.6 million, while identified patients saw an increase of just over 1% to 671,000.
Drugs for dementia items increased by just over 2% to 1.3 million, and the number of identified patients increased by nearly 2% to 287,000.
The number of hypnotics and anxiolytics items increased by 2% to 3.5 million, and the number of identified patients increased by 1.6% to 1.1 million.
The cost of antidepressant items increased by just over 7%, from £54 million to £58 million.
24 million antidepressant items were prescribed to an estimated 7.2 million identified patients.
For CNS stimulants and drugs for ADHD, the number of items increased by close to 9% to 1.1 million and identified patients increased by nearly 9% to 323,000.
Read our latest statistics on Medicines Used in #MentalHealth, covering the prescribing of medicines in England that are then dispensed in the community.
They show that prescriptions for CNS stimulants and drugs for #ADHD have increased.
Key findings from October-December 2025:
To kick off Women's History Month, we chatted with some of our Women's Network about career journeys, motherhood, imposter syndrome, and what they would tell the next generation of girls.
To watch in full: 🟣 https://youtu.be/uhINWoKIvb0
Bright and colorful banner with abstract splashes of paint and decorative patterns. Text reads, "The NHS Business Services Authority wishes you a happy HOLI!" Includes NHS logo.
Wishing a joyful Holi to all those celebrating! 🎨
We hope you're surrounded by loved ones and plenty of gujiya today, and that the renewal of Spring brings as many blessings to you as it does shades of the rainbow. 🌈
Supporting patients managing chronic, non-cancer pain with opioids starts with the right data.
Our new video walkthrough guides you through the #Opioid Prescribing Comparators dashboard in ePACT2, helping you improve care and reduce harm.
Watch now: https://youtu.be/SZ32Xs89vQY
Image featuring a clinician named Antoinette for NHS Talking Therapies, with the text 'Feeling anxious or depressed?' and logos for HM Government and NHS.
💬 Struggling with your mental health?
NHS Talking Therapies offers free, confidential support for depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD and more.
You don't need a GP referral - you can refer yourself directly.
It only takes 5 minutes. Take the first step at nhs.uk/talk
It might just be a weak arm, or a mispronounced word.
It might not seem like much, but when it comes to stroke, even one sign is an emergency.
Don't wait for more symptoms. Don't second-guess yourself.
At the first sign, it's time to call 999.
nhs.uk/actFAST
Image of a person in scrubs smiling and using a tablet in a medical office. Text overlay promotes joining an NHS Pensions research panel. The NHS Business Services Authority logo is displayed at the top.
Are you a member of the NHS Pension Scheme?
We’re inviting members to join our new research panel and help improve the service.
To find out more and get involved, please visit: https://research.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/s/nhs-pensions-research-panel?source=pensions-twitter-x
GOS contractors! We can help you to repair or replace a patient's glasses. 👋
We've put together a guide explaining what a GOS 4 voucher is, how to assess a patient's eligibility, and where to contact us for a pre-authorisation code: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/under-lens-pre-authorising-your-gos-4-vouchers
Image featuring a clinician named Antoinette for NHS Talking Therapies, with the text 'Feeling anxious or depressed?' and logos for HM Government and NHS.
💬 Struggling with your mental health?
NHS Talking Therapies offers free, confidential support for depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD and more.
You don't need a GP referral — you can refer yourself directly.
Take the first step at nhs.uk/talk
Worried something isn't right with your body? It's natural to fear the worst, but here's the reassuring truth: most people who go for tests find out it's not cancer.
Don't wait.
If something doesn't feel right, contact your GP. Getting checked gives you peace of mind. ❤️
Brilliant results at the NENC Digital, Data and Technology Awards 2026! 🏆
Three of our colleagues came away with recognition on the night. Kate Brown won Rising Star, Lucy Sherwin-Robson won Innovation, and Thomas Owen was highly commended.
A true reflection of the talent across our teams.
We’ve worked closely with Health Innovation Wessex to bring GPs and pharmacists the #Opioid Prescribing Comparators Dashboard in ePACT2. 📊
Learn how it can improve the care and reduce the harm for those taking opioids for the management of chronic, non-cancer pain. https://youtu.be/SZ32Xs89vQY
