Emergency medicines supply: most frequently supplied items by year
Table
| Data values | Data description | Year | Item |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,438 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,992 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Salamol 100micrograms/dose inhaler CFC free (Teva UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 2,247 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 2,041 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,868 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Atorvastatin 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,792 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,610 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 1,592 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Ramipril 2.5mg capsules 28 capsule |
| 1,539 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | FreeStyle Libre 2 Sensor (Abbott Laboratories Ltd) 1 kit |
| 1,510 | Number of items prescribed | 2024-25 | Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 4,448 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,351 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Amlodipine 10mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,420 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Citalopram 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,491 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,514 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 3,460 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Atorvastatin 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 3,656 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 3,718 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 3,726 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 2,309 | Number of items prescribed | 2023-24 | Ramipril 2.5mg capsules 28 capsule |
| 3,515 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,870 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Ramipril 2.5mg capsules 28 capsule |
| 1,921 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Amlodipine 10mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,087 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Citalopram 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,150 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,621 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Atorvastatin 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,747 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,858 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 3,161 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 3,360 | Number of items prescribed | 2022-23 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 1,221 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Amlodipine 10mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,172 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Metformin 500mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,404 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,410 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Citalopram 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,628 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Atorvastatin 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,723 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,740 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,152 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 2,194 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 2,658 | Number of items prescribed | 2021-22 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 709 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Ramipril 2.5mg capsules 28 capsule |
| 1,617 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 1,422 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 1,321 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,054 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 989 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 833 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Citalopram 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 829 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 802 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Atorvastatin 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 721 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Levothyroxine sodium 25microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 709 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Bisoprolol 2.5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 709 | Number of items prescribed | 2020-21 | Metformin 500mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,729 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 547 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Levothyroxine sodium 50microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 548 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Metformin 500mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 548 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Atorvastatin 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 627 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Citalopram 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 652 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 675 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 713 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 764 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 910 | Number of items prescribed | 2019-20 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 598 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 401 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Levothyroxine sodium 25microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 421 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 422 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Metformin 500mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 443 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Levothyroxine sodium 50microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 443 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Citalopram 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 447 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 518 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 550 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 1,453 | Number of items prescribed | 2018-19 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
| 534 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 capsule |
| 325 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 341 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Citalopram 20mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 343 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Levothyroxine sodium 25microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 377 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Metformin 500mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 388 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Ramipril 10mg capsules 28 capsule |
| 397 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Levothyroxine sodium 50microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 467 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Levothyroxine sodium 100microgram tablets 28 tablet |
| 497 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Amlodipine 5mg tablets 28 tablet |
| 1,444 | Number of items prescribed | 2017-18 | Ventolin 100micrograms/dose Evohaler (GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd) 200 dose |
Next update expected:2027
Updates
- 12th March 2026
- Dataset first published.
Main information
- Designation
- Official statistics
- Data provider
- NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
- Data source
- Prescribing Services
Overview
- Summary of dataset and variables
The Emergency Medicines Supply Service (EMS) is an NHS service provided by community pharmacies in Wales. It allows patients to receive a short‑term supply of their previously prescribed medicines when they have an urgent need and cannot obtain a prescription in time. This dataset shows the ten most frequently supplied medicines by pharmacists through EMS in each year.
Medicines supplied through EMS are not coded in the exact same way as medicines that are dispensed by pharmacies through prescriptions. Therefore they are not grouped by British National Formulary Chapter like prescriptions data are.
Medicines are grouped by how they are recorded in the raw data, which normally include the brand or drug name, dosage and form of the medicine. Therefore, the same medicine maybe recorded multiple times in the dataset if it has a different dosage and/or form.
The ten most frequently supplied items may differ between years, so full time series analysis of medicines is limited. The variables are: Year – the financial year in which the supply was recorded, medicine item – the name of the medicine supplied and items supplied – the number of times the item was supplied under the service.
- Data collection or calculation
Data are collected from routine claims submitted by community pharmacies for Emergency Medicines Supply. Each claim includes details of the medicine supplied. Data are extracted and aggregated to produce annual totals. Items are ranked within each year based on the total number supplied. No estimation or modelling is used.
- Statistical quality
The data are derived from administrative claims. They reflect items claimed and processed for payment. Data quality depends on accurate claim submission and coding of medicines. Late claims or adjustments may affect totals.
- Related reports
Published by
- Organisation
- Welsh Government
- Contact email
- stats.healthinfo@gov.wales