GP Prescribing Intensity by ICB β Antibiotics, Antidepressants & Opioids
Real NHSBSA prescribing data for March 2026, across all 42 English Integrated Care Boards β plus the Gera Prescribing Intensity Index (GPII).
What are the antibiotic, antidepressant and opioid prescribing rates by ICB in England?
In March 2026, England's GP prescribing rate across 42 ICBs was 48.8 antibiotic items, 128.5 antidepressant items and 29.8 opioid items per 1,000 registered patients, from 13,211,828 combined items, per NHSBSA EPD data. Gera re-dates this monthly.
Source:NHS Business Services Authority β English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) with SNOMED Code, March 2026Β·as of March 2026updated monthly (last: )
Gera Prescribing Intensity IndexEngland average: ab 48.8 | ad 128.5 | op 29.8 per 1,000The GPII (0β100) combines antibiotic, antidepressant and opioid prescribing rates per 1,000 patients, normalised against the England average. GPII 100 = North East and North Cumbria (highest intensity); GPII 0 = North West London (lowest). Source: NHSBSA EPD March 2026.How this index is calculated
| Prescribing category | BNF reference | Items per 1,000 patients | Total items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antibiotics | Chapter 05: Infections | 48.8 | 3,114,520 |
| Antidepressants | Β§04.03 | 128.5 | 8,194,245 |
| Opioid analgesics | Β§04.07.02 | 29.8 | 1,903,063 |
| Registered patients (denominator) | QOF HYP list size 2024/25 | β | 63,766,671 |
Compare prescribing rates in your ICB
Pick your Integrated Care Board to see its real antibiotic, antidepressant and opioid rates vs the England average, with GPII rank.
Select an ICB above to see its prescribing rates vs the England average.
ICBs with the highest prescribing intensity (March 2026)
| Integrated Care Board | Antibiotic rate | Antidepressant rate | Opioid rate | GPII |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East and North Cumbria | 60.4 /1k | 218.1 /1k | 60.6 /1k | 100 / 100 |
| Lincolnshire | 65.8 /1k | 189.8 /1k | 46.2 /1k | 82.9 / 100 |
| Norfolk and Waveney | 58.4 /1k | 182.2 /1k | 39.4 /1k | 70.2 / 100 |
| Suffolk and North East Essex | 61.1 /1k | 172.8 /1k | 37.6 /1k | 68 / 100 |
| Lancashire and South Cumbria | 53.3 /1k | 156.0 /1k | 43.9 /1k | 65.7 / 100 |
| South Yorkshire | 54.4 /1k | 180.0 /1k | 37.6 /1k | 65.6 / 100 |
| Humber and North Yorkshire | 55.0 /1k | 156.5 /1k | 42.2 /1k | 65.2 / 100 |
| Cheshire and Merseyside | 53.9 /1k | 164.8 /1k | 39.8 /1k | 64 / 100 |
| Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent | 58.6 /1k | 144.8 /1k | 38.8 /1k | 61.4 / 100 |
| Derby and Derbyshire | 50.7 /1k | 141.9 /1k | 44.0 /1k | 61.1 / 100 |
Highest prescribing intensity: North East and North Cumbria (GPII 100), Lincolnshire (GPII 82.9), Norfolk and Waveney (GPII 70.2), Suffolk and North East Essex (GPII 68), Lancashire and South Cumbria (GPII 65.7).
ICBs with the lowest prescribing intensity (March 2026)
| Integrated Care Board | Antibiotic rate | Antidepressant rate | Opioid rate | GPII |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North West London | 33.0 /1k | 63.8 /1k | 9.8 /1k | 0 / 100 |
| North East London | 37.7 /1k | 78.2 /1k | 12.3 /1k | 8.3 / 100 |
| North Central London | 34.7 /1k | 82.3 /1k | 13.4 /1k | 8.5 / 100 |
| South East London | 37.5 /1k | 71.9 /1k | 14.6 /1k | 9.1 / 100 |
| South West London | 39.7 /1k | 79.1 /1k | 12.3 /1k | 9.7 / 100 |
London ICBs have substantially below-average prescribing intensity, reflecting their younger populations, higher private prescribing (not in EPD) and different care pathways.
All 42 Integrated Care Boards β prescribing intensity
- Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (GPII 47.4)
- Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (GPII 28.1)
- Birmingham and Solihull (GPII 25.5)
- Black Country (GPII 43.9)
- Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (GPII 29.6)
- Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (GPII 24.2)
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (GPII 41.9)
- Cheshire and Merseyside (GPII 64)
- Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (GPII 60.4)
- Coventry and Warwickshire (GPII 39.4)
- Derby and Derbyshire (GPII 61.1)
- Devon (GPII 59.1)
- Dorset (GPII 45.1)
- Frimley (GPII 22.1)
- Gloucestershire (GPII 50.3)
- Greater Manchester (GPII 51.8)
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight (GPII 38.3)
- Herefordshire and Worcestershire (GPII 49.6)
- Hertfordshire and West Essex (GPII 27.4)
- Humber and North Yorkshire (GPII 65.2)
- Kent and Medway (GPII 43.5)
- Lancashire and South Cumbria (GPII 65.7)
- Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (GPII 38.8)
- Lincolnshire (GPII 82.9)
- Mid and South Essex (GPII 37.7)
- Norfolk and Waveney (GPII 70.2)
- North Central London (GPII 8.5)
- North East and North Cumbria (GPII 100)
- North East London (GPII 8.3)
- North West London (GPII 0)
- Northamptonshire (GPII 41.2)
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (GPII 53.6)
- Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (GPII 49.7)
- Somerset (GPII 45.8)
- South East London (GPII 9.1)
- South West London (GPII 9.7)
- South Yorkshire (GPII 65.6)
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (GPII 61.4)
- Suffolk and North East Essex (GPII 68)
- Surrey Heartlands ICB (GPII 20.4)
- Sussex ICB (GPII 41.4)
- West Yorkshire (GPII 54.4)
Related NHS data on GeraClinic
GP prescribing intensity in England: frequently asked questions
- What is the antibiotic prescribing rate in England?
- In March 2026, the England-wide antibiotic prescribing rate was 48.8 items per 1,000 registered patients (BNF chapter 05: Infections), based on 3,114,520 total antibiotic items across 63,766,671 registered patients, per NHSBSA EPD data.
- Which areas have the highest antidepressant prescribing rates?
- NHS North East and North Cumbria has the highest antidepressant prescribing rate at 218.1 items per 1,000 patients β 89.6 above the England average of 128.5 per 1,000. This is measured from BNF Β§04.03 (antidepressants) in the NHSBSA EPD March 2026 data.
- What is the opioid prescribing rate per 1,000 patients in England?
- England's opioid analgesic prescribing rate in March 2026 was 29.8 items per 1,000 registered patients (BNF Β§04.07.02: opioid analgesics), from 1,903,063 total opioid items. The highest-opioid ICB (North East and North Cumbria) is 60.6 per 1,000, more than twice the lowest (London ICBs β10β14).
- What is the Gera Prescribing Intensity Index (GPII)?
- The GPII is a Gera-branded composite index (0β100) summarising how an ICB's antibiotic, antidepressant and opioid prescribing intensity compares to the England average across all three key BNF chapters. GPII 100 = highest combined intensity (North East and North Cumbria); GPII 0 = lowest (North West London). The formula: raw = mean of three ratios (ICB rate / England rate per chapter); GPII = 100 Γ (raw β min) / (max β min). See the full methodology at https://geraclinic.com/prescribing-intensity/methodology.
- How often is NHSBSA prescribing data published?
- The NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) is published monthly, covering every prescription dispensed in primary care (GP practices and PCNs) across England. GeraClinic updates this cluster on each new monthly release. Current data: March 2026 (18,364,409 prescription rows).
- Why do London ICBs have much lower prescribing rates?
- London ICBs consistently show lower rates for all three chapters β a pattern seen across NHS prescribing analyses. Contributing factors include younger, healthier population mix, higher proportions of private prescribing (not captured in EPD), and different care pathways. North East and North Cumbria, by contrast, has older and more deprived populations with higher chronic disease burden, explaining GPII 100.
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Contains public sector information published by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS Business Services Authority β English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) with SNOMED Code, March 2026 (March 2026, published May 2026).