Now Scots patients can’t get painkillers prescribed on NHS
A HEALTH board will stop prescribing some painkillers in an effort to plug a £44million funding shortfall.
NHS Tayside has banned one-off prescriptions for paracetamol and ibuprofen to save £1million a year.
Bosses have agreed the cuts, along with other cost-saving measures such as axing all homeopathy services.
The board’s chairman and chief executive were replaced earlier this month after Health Secretary Shona Robison said she was not confident the leadership was capable of managing its own finances.
The Scottish Government has already loaned the board £33.2million.
Papers published by NHS Tayside confirmed the move to stop paying for paracetamol and ibuprofen for patients who need the painkillers for a short time.
But those taking them long-term will still be entitled to an NHS prescription. In future, patients who need paracetamol or ibuprofen for a short period will be expected to pay for the painkillers themselves.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘NHS Tayside is going to need to find a lot of paracetamol to ban if it’s going to make any dent on its finances.
‘This health board needs a root and branch review of its finances, not minuscule shortcuts. The fact that boards are now having to take such measures demonstrates just how desperate the situation has become.’
NHS Tayside spends more than £1million every year prescribing everyday painkillers such as paracetamol. Cutting prescriptions for homeopathic medicine is expected to save £30,000 a year.
Board papers state: ‘The medical director advised there was a confidence in the prescribing proposals. These proposals were safe and would not compromise patient outcomes.’
The papers add that the board has a duty to ‘contain’ its prescribing costs and the move was in line with NHS policies to reduce variation and waste.
An NHS Tayside spokesman said: ‘There are no plans to stop prescribing ibuprofen or paracetamol in primary care where they are felt to be clinically appropriate. These medications are readily available over the counter in supermarkets and community pharmacies at very low cost.
‘When they are only required in very small numbers and for a short period of time, it is not necessary to see a GP to request a prescription.’
Costs of drugs as well as staffing costs are blamed as being part of the reason why NHS Tayside has ended up in a financial crisis.
The board’s chairman Professor John Connell and chief executive Lesley McLay left their posts this month following concerns over how it had been managing its finances.
The pair were replaced by new chairman John Brown and new chief executive Malcolm Wright, both highly experienced NHS officials.
Last month, it emerged that financial director Lindsay Bedford had decided to retire.
The board shake-up followed disclosures that NHS Tayside had previously resorted to taking more than £2million from its charity fund to cover general running costs, including a new IT system.
The board reportedly used the money when it was faced with a funding deficit in 2013-14 and had temporarily to suspend its constitution to allow the transfer to take place.
North East Scotland Labour MSP Jenny Marra said: ‘NHS Tayside must be careful to strike the balance between giving people the medication they need and ensuring that they take the practical steps needed to balance the books.’
Meanwhile, an NHS Tayside board member has criticised the Scottish Government for not giving the health service enough money. Dundee GP Dr Andrew Cowie was recorded in board meeting minutes as saying: ‘The current level of funding from the Scottish Government is inappropriate.’
‘The situation is desperate’