NHS England consults on blocking ‘wasteful’ prescriptions

NHS England has unveiled detailed proposals of how prescriptions for “ineffective, over-priced and low value treatments” will be cut in order to shave millions off of the NHS’ drugs bill. A public consultation has now been launched on new national guidelines blocking 18 treatments which together cost taxpayers £141 million a year, including homeopathy, which NHS chief executive Simon Stevens describes as “at best a placebo and a misuse of scarce NHS funds”. The consultation also covers a further 3,200 prescription items many of which are available over the counter at a significantly lower price than the cost to the NHS, and proposes to limit prescribing of products for minor self-limiting conditions, such as laxatives and eye drops, which currently cost taxpayers £50-100 million a year.