The Prescribing Toolkit

"The Prescribing Toolkit enables users to compare their prescribing performance against other prescribing organisations using predefined drug lists and indicators."

The Prescribing Toolkit is an 'on-line' system, accessed via the Prescription Pricing Authority Website (www.ppa.nhs.uk), which provides three years of standard prescribing data, electronically, to the following authorised users for performance management purposes:

• Department of Health
  
• Strategic Health Authorities
  
• Primary Care Trusts
  
• PPA
  
• National Prescribing Centre
  
• Prescribing Support Unit.

Data is available for the previous three financial years. Annual reports are provided which compare the latest financial year with the previous two years. Quarterly reports are also provided which compare the latest quarter with the equivalent quarters in the previous two years.

Data is reported at and can be selected at Practice, Primary Care Trust, and Strategic Health Authority level. Data is presented in both tabular and graphical formats to provide the following:

• Potential Generic Savings
  This shows the potential saving of prescribing generically as opposed to prescribing proprietary products.
  
  
• Specialist Drugs
  This shows the costs for a pre-defined list of drugs.
  
  
• Prescribing Indicators
  This shows performance according to a number of pre-defined indicators.
  
  
• Cost Comparator
  This compares the cost of drugs prescribed according to a number of pre-defined comparators.

• Volume Comparator
  This compares the volume of drugs prescribed according to a number of pre-defined comparators.
  
  
• Nurse Prescribing Indicator
  This provides information on the cost of prescribing from the Nurse Prescribing Formulary, according to a number of pre-defined indicators.

For each of the above a user can also view:

• where applicable, drug list at individual presentation level
  
• where applicable, prescribing measures weightings, e.g.
  Prescribing Units (PUs),
  ASTRO PUs - Age, Sex and Temporary Resident Originated Prescribing Units,
  STAR PUs - Specific Therapeutic group Age-sex Related Prescribing Units ,
  Nurse Prescribing Formulary PUs.

Prescribing indicators, potential generic savings and specialist drugs reports are provided by the Prescribing Indicator National Group. Comparators are provided by the Prescribing Support Unit.

Frequently Asked Questions