GPs could be put under even more pressure

The decision by NHS bosses to discourage patients from taking out prescriptions for widely available drugs could put Kent’s already hard-pressed GPs in a difficult position.

Many practices already deter people from seeking over the counter medicines as a matter of common sense, given these drugs are widely available, often at lower prices in supermarkets and pharmacies than they would be on a paid prescription. But a doctor who refused to issue medicines to patients could in some circumstances find themselves in breach of their conditions of service, while those on long-term prescriptions are unlikely to be affected.

As was openly acknowledged by decision-makers this week, the change is likely to affect the elderly, the disabled and the housebound as well as the most impoverished people in the area.

Clearly there is an argument for both encouraging people to avoid going to their doctor for minor ailments and where applicable to avoid sourcing medicines through the NHS, but this change only pre-empts an ongoing national review of prescribing, which could see what are currently only suggestions become an outright ban.

Despite the review another worrying aspect is the continued lack of national guidance on these issues which is increasingly seeing people’s quality of life and access to treatment determined by where they live.

National leadership is required on this and other issues such as IVF, or in the absence of this it is the responsibility of commissioners to come together to bring some cohesion at a regional level.