Views sought on draft prescribing policy

Dr Chris Duffy, NHS HMR CCG Chairman

A month long engagement phase has been launched in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale (HMR) to gain comments on a draft prescribing policy to be considered by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Governing Body in April.

The prescribing for clinical need and gluten free policy, which is still draft, proposes to stop the routine prescribing of treatments for minor ailments such as headaches and diarrhoea on the NHS, as well as gluten free foods to adults. These measures will make better use of resources to further improve local NHS services.

Minor medications (e.g. paracetamol and athletes foot remedies) and treatments with poor evidence of benefit (e.g. optrex and vitamins) are prescribed at an inflated cost to the NHS (e.g. a 29p box of paracetamol can cost £40) as well as taking up clinical and patient time. They are widely available at low cost from supermarkets and pharmacies. Eligible patients in financial need will be signposted to the CCG's minor ailments scheme which allows patients access to some medication at no cost from their pharmacy.

The draft policy also proposes to restrict the prescribing of gluten free foods on the NHS to under 16s and pregnant and breastfeeding women only in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale. This is due to their wide availability from regular shops at steadily reducing cost and the potential inequity, as foodstuffs for patients with other conditions, for example diabetes, are not prescribed.

Dr Chris Duffy, Chairman of HMR CCG, said: “We are asking for people’s views on the draft policy which proposes to no longer allow patients to seek an NHS prescription for minor medication that is widely available over the counter or for gluten free foods for adults, other than pregnant or breastfeeding women. We believe, like other neighbouring areas, that these measures are common sense and required in order to protect our local NHS resources into the future.

“We could save £650,000 every year if we take these measures – which to put it into context could fund 18 newly qualified nurses or 100 hip replacement procedures.”

The policy, which is still draft, is available below.

The CCG is inviting the views of as many people as possible about the draft policy by completing the online survey before 31st March 2016. The survey can be found at:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RCJ6HTQ

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