What is OpenPrescribing and what data does it provide?

Updated

OpenPrescribing is a free web platform for exploring prescribing data published by the NHS in England. It is designed and built by the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science in the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. The site turns the NHS's monthly, anonymised GP prescribing data — roughly 17 million rows per month in raw form — into dashboards, trends, and custom queries that are easier to search and interpret. It is aimed at anyone who wants to examine prescribing patterns, from clinicians and analysts to researchers and the general public.

Where the data comes from

Every month, the NHS in England publishes anonymised data about prescriptions issued by GPs. OpenPrescribing takes those large raw files and makes them explorable, with the stated goal of supporting safer, more efficient prescribing. The platform also notes that if you use its data or graphs, you should cite them as: OpenPrescribing.net, Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, University of Oxford, 2026.

What you can do on the site

The homepage groups its tools under a few main tasks:

  • Look at your Sub-ICB Location — dashboards for every ICB, Sub-ICB Location, and practice in the country, based on standard prescribing measures.
  • Look at your GP practice — the same standard measures, organised as a dashboard for every GP practice in England.
  • Run your own analyses — a flexible query form for getting specific prescribing data quickly.
  • Spot national trends — see how national prescribing trends have changed over the last 5 years for any drug or BNF section.
  • Look at your hospital — hospital drug data, including dashboards, a hospital's data submission history, and custom queries.
  • Drug Tariff — Drug Tariff data for England from 2010, covering prices, price concessions, and how they have changed over time.

Navigation and supporting pages

The site's navigation reflects the same structure: Area and Practice Dashboards (Practices, PCNs, Sub-ICB Locations, ICBs, Regional Teams, Hospitals, All England), Trends (for BNF sections, chemicals, and Drug Tariff and Concessions), plus a SICBL improvement radar. Supporting pages include How to use, Stay in touch, FAQ, API, About, Research, dm+d, Blog, and Privacy Policy.

Who it is for

Because the dashboards are pre-built for every ICB, Sub-ICB Location, practice, and hospital, you do not need to handle the raw data yourself to look at a specific organisation. If you have a more specific question, the custom query form and the API are the routes for deeper analysis. The site also publishes guidelines for using the data, which are worth reading before you reuse or republish anything from it.

Practical notes

  • The data covers England and is published monthly by the NHS.
  • GP prescribing data is anonymised.
  • Drug Tariff coverage starts from 2010.
  • Hospital drug data is a newer addition to the platform.
  • The site is maintained by the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at the University of Oxford, with funding details on its about page.