Dear Matthew

Assessment of General Pharmaceutical Services in England statistics

Thank you for inviting us to assess the NHS Business Service Authority’s General Pharmaceutical Service in England statistics against the Code of Practice for Statistics. We have completed the assessment and have today published our Assessment Report. We judge that the GPhS statistics would be able to maintain National Statistics designation once we have confirmed that the improvements outlined in the four requirements set out in the report have been made. I would like to thank you and your team for your positive engagement throughout the assessment.

During our assessment we found that the GPhS statistics provide a valuable, trusted source of information about community pharmacies and appliance contractors in England, and the activities that these carry out. The statistics provide insight to a broad range of users, including ministers and officials in government departments, policy advisors, commissioners, business analysts, and data analysis and business intelligence specialists.

We are encouraged to see that the team has built on the solid foundations established during the assessment of statistics on Prescription Costs Analysis in England. We commend the steps that you have taken to establish relationships with the Head of Profession for Statistics at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and to develop contacts across the wider Government Statistical Service (GSS).

I am grateful for your commitment to publish an action plan in August 2021, setting out your plans to meet the requirements. Your team will then report back to us by the end of October 2021, outlining how those requirements have been addressed.

I am copying this letter to Michael Brodie, CEO of NHSBSA, and to Lucy Vickers, Head of Profession for Statistics at the Department for Health and Social Care.

Yours sincerely

 

Ed Humpherson

Director General for Regulation