Last year the NHS spent approximately £569 million on prescriptions for medicines for minor conditions which could have been bought over the counter from a high street pharmacy or supermarket.
By reducing what we spend on treating conditions that are self-limiting or lend themselves to self-care, we will have more money to spend on high priority areas that have a greater impact for patients, to support improvements in services and to deliver transformation that will ensure the long-term sustainability of the NHS.
Every £1million saved on prescriptions for over the counter treatments could pay for:
39 more community nurses OR
270 more hip replacements OR
66 more drug treatment courses for breast cancer OR
1,000 more drug treatment courses for Alzheimer’s OR
1,040 more cataract operations
Please take part in our survey
Help to support improvements in services by telling us about how you use medications. Any savings from implementing the proposals could be reinvested in improving patient care.
The survey should take around 10 minutes to complete and your input is greatly appreciated.