Hydrocortisone (topical) prescribing across the NHS.
Topical hydrocortisone is the mildest steroid and a self-care frontier: 3.3m items a year, falling slowly as over-the-counter purchase substitutes for prescriptions. What remains skews to children, faces and the cautious end of eczema care.
The NHS in England dispensed 3,326,691 prescription items of Hydrocortisone (topical) in the 12 months to July 2026, across primary care and hospitals.
Spending on Hydrocortisone (topical) over those 12 months was £19.7m at net ingredient cost, the list price of what was dispensed before any discounts.
Items were down 2.9% on the previous 12 months.
100% of Hydrocortisone (topical) volume moved through primary care and 0% through hospital pharmacies.
Hydrocortisone (topical) is the largest of 16 chemical substances in Topical corticosteroids (BNF 13.4), by items dispensed.
Among Integrated Care Boards, NHS Greater Manchester ICB dispensed the highest volume of Hydrocortisone (topical).
Source: NHS Business Services Authority open data (English Prescribing Data and SCMD), OGL v3.0. Items count prescriptions dispensed, not patients treated.
Diamond markers show events around this period: NICE decisions, safety alerts, supply notices, Drug Tariff moves and price concessions, new suppliers in dm+d and framework awards. Hover a marker for the date and type. The evidence behind each one, with the source quote and link, sits behind Apply.
| Month | Items | Spend (NIC) |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 286,526 | £1.7m |
| June 2026 | 284,389 | £1.6m |
| May 2026 | 270,697 | £1.5m |
| April 2026 | 293,310 | £1.6m |
| March 2026 | 303,932 | £1.7m |
| February 2026 | 267,986 | £1.5m |
| January 2026 | 291,829 | £1.7m |
| December 2025 | 265,390 | £1.6m |
| November 2025 | 264,858 | £1.6m |
| October 2025 | 276,250 | £1.7m |
| September 2025 | 267,966 | £1.7m |
| August 2025 | 253,558 | £1.7m |
The same series as the chart, most recent month first. The full monthly history, as CSV, sits behind Apply.
29.8% of its class.
Hydrocortisone (topical) is the largest of 16 chemical substances in Topical corticosteroids (BNF 13.4), by items dispensed in July 2026. The full class league, who's gaining, and the month-by-month share movement sit behind Apply.
Average items by calendar month across the full history, indexed to the annual mean.
Hydrocortisone (topical) across all 36 ICBs.
Every Integrated Care Board in England, shaded by how much hydrocortisone (topical) its GPs dispense per head of population. Hover an ICB to name it. The ranked figures for all 36 ICBs, and the drill-down to practice level, are in the full report.
Darker shading marks where Hydrocortisone (topical) is dispensed most per head of population. Exact figures for every ICB, and the drill-down to practice level, are in the full report.
Zoomed out to the 7 NHS regions.
The same 12 months rolled up to NHS England's seven regions, ranked by intensity.
The teaser view.
Three rows each. The full 36-ICB view, every prescribing organisation, every strength and the hospital picture sit below the fold, behind Apply.
- 1 NHS Greater Manchester ICB 227k
- 2 NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB 206k
- 3 NHS West and North London ICB 189k
- – + 33 more. See the full 36-ICB table. See all →
- 1 NHS Northamptonshire ICB +1.8%
- 2 NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB +0.3%
- 3 NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB -0.2%
- – + 33 more. See every ICB, ranked. See all →
- 1 Hydrocortisone 1% cream 39%
- 2 Hydrocortisone 1% / Miconazole 2% cream 18%
- 3 Hydrocortisone 1% / Clotrimazole 1% cream 13%
- – + 3 more. See every strength and pack. See all →
Split of items across NHSBSA primary care and SCMD hospital dispensing.
Prescribing by deprivation.
Items per 1,000 registered patients by deprivation decile (1 = most deprived), practice deprivation weighted by where each practice's patients live. Read the shape rather than the absolute level: the most and least deprived deciles cover far fewer practices, and age structure drives much of the gradient.
The devolved nations.
| Nation | Items · 12 months | Data to |
|---|---|---|
| England | 3.3m | July 2026 |
| Scotland | 595k | June 2026 |
| Northern Ireland | 174k | May 2026 |
| Wales | 200k | April 2026 |
Each nation publishes its own community prescribing data, with different coding and list rules, so read these per-nation rather than as an exact UK total. Sources: NHSBSA (England), Public Health Scotland, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, OpenDataNI. Used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What open data won't tell you about hydrocortisone (topical).
Quantity per item varies enormously with tube size, so items are a rough proxy at best for actual steroid use.
Asked and answered.
Is hydrocortisone (topical) prescribing rising or falling in the NHS?
Falling. England dispensed 3,326,691 items of Hydrocortisone (topical) in the 12 months to July 2026, down 2.9% on the previous 12 months. Items count prescriptions dispensed, not patients treated, so the change can reflect dose and duration shifts as well as patient numbers.
How much does the NHS spend on hydrocortisone (topical)?
£19.7m at net ingredient cost in the 12 months to July 2026. Net ingredient cost is the list price of the medicine before discounts and rebates; the NHS's final bill, especially for hospital medicines, is usually lower.
Where in England is hydrocortisone (topical) prescribed most?
By raw volume, NHS Greater Manchester ICB dispensed the most hydrocortisone (topical) in the last 12 months. Raw volume favours the biggest populations; the map on this page shades every ICB by items per head to correct for that.
How up to date is this data?
This page runs to July 2026, the most recent NHSBSA release. Prescribing data publishes roughly six to eight weeks in arrears, and DoseTrend refreshes within 48 hours of each monthly release.
The full breakdown.
Every ICB, every prescribing organisation, every strength, the hospital view with what trusts paid and who holds each framework line, Signals with their sources, and the monthly briefing PDF. The rows below are placeholders; the real tables sit behind the application.
Related pages.
See the full molecule directory, or read about the data and pricing.
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