Over The Counter Medications
The NHS currently spends around £136 million a year on prescriptions for medicines that can be bought from a pharmacy or supermarket, such as paracetamol. Please help the NHS by not requesting over the counter medications on prescription.
By reducing the amount it spends on over the counter medicines, the NHS can give priority to treatments for people with more serious conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and mental health problems.
Details of the national review of NHS prescriptions can be found here.
The review has several goals:
- To provide patients with medications which are clinically proven in research to give benefit.
- To prescribe medications which have the fewest possible risks or side effects.
- To prescribe medications which are the most cost effective - this may mean the brand or the preparation of the drug is changed.
- To encourage self-care for minor self-limiting conditions - this may mean that requests for certain medications are declined by the practice. You may be advised that you should purchase certain medications directly from a pharmacy.
