E Lancs calls fo ban on prescriptions for over counter items

[annie]

What do you think?

PEOPLE are calling for the NHS to ban prescriptions for items that could be bough 'over-the-counter'.

Figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, showed a total of 1.1 billion items were prescribed by doctors in England last year.

People across the borough have voiced their concern at the data, which highlighted that in 2014 the NHS handed out 404,500 prescriptions for suncream at a cost of £13 million, another 4.7 million prescriptions for indigestion pills worth £29 million and 1.4 million were written out for multi-vitamins, at £4.2 million.

Other bathroom cabinet items routinely being prescribed by GPs include Calpol, Vaseline, Strepsils and toothpaste, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre, while some patients are even being given hangover tablets and Yakult yogurt drinks.

Critics have slammed the situation as ‘ludicrous’ that such items were being handed out when the NHS was rationing routine treatments. It has prompted concern that patients are abusing the system by demanding prescriptions for household essentials which are cheaply available at their local chemist.




The figures came on the day that Britain was ranked only 27th in the world for health and wellness – below Slovenia, Spain and Portugal – and 111th out of 133 countries for obesity.

Nelson South councillor Azhar Ali, Labour's candidate for Pendle MP, said doctors needed to stop writing prescriptions for such items, adding: "This is an absolute scandal. It's no wonder members of the public have lost confidence in this Tory government.

"The NHS is at breaking point; sick people can't get hold of their GP, operations are being cancelled and we have people waiting far too long for cancer treatment.
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne ... _medicine/

[wendy]

I agree, with this, except for the homeless.

[maureenho]

[Rosalind]

Totally agree, I would never ask my doctor for items, that I could buy over the counter.