Version: 2.0.3 | Published: 23 Jul 2026 | Updated: 26 days ago
Documentation
Description:
The information is supplied by Practitioner & Counter Fraud Services Division (P&CFS) who is responsible for the processing and pricing of all prescriptions dispensed in Scotland. These data are augmented with information on prescriptions written in Scotland that were dispensed elsewhere in the United Kingdom. GP’s write the vast majority of these prescriptions, with the remainder written by other authorised prescribers such as nurses and dentists. Also included in the dataset are prescriptions written in hospitals that are dispensed in the community. Note that prescriptions dispensed within hospitals are not included. Data includes CHI number, prescriber and dispenser details for community prescribing, costs and drug information. Data on practices (e.g. list size), organisational structures (e.g. practices within Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) and NHS Boards), prescribable items (e.g. manufacturer, formulation code, strength) are also included.
Around 100 million data items are loaded per annum.
Coverage
Spatial
Spatial Coverage:
United Kingdom,Scotland
Temporal
Start Date:
01 April 2009
End Date:
31 March 2026
Frequency:
Monthly
Distribution Release Date:
31 March 2026
Provenance
Source:
Other
Purpose:
Care
Collection Situation:
Primary care - Clinic
Access and Governance
Usage
Condition of Access:
- General research use
- Project-specific restrictions
- Research-specific restrictions
Condition of Use:
- Disclosure control
- Institution-specific restrictions
- Not for profit use
Resource Creator:
Public Health Scotland
Access
Access Service:
Scottish National Safe Haven / Trusted Research Environment: https://publichealthscotland.scot/services/data-research-and-innovation-services/electronic-data-research-and-innovation-service-edris/national-safe-haven-nsh/
Data Controller:
Public Health Scotland / National Records Scotland
Access Request Cost:
Data Processor:
National Services Scotland
Format and Standards
Languages:
en
Formats:
- text
- csv
Enrichment and Linkage
Related Datasets:
This dataset can be linked to others within the Research Data Access Pathway
Observations
Statistical Population
Population Description
Population Size
Measured Property
Observation Date
Persons
5500000
Count
01 February 2026
Origin
Name:
Scottish Health Data