Paracetamol prescription costs plummet across Tayside.

New figures have shown a five-year low

The cost of paracetamol prescriptions for NHS Tayside has reached a five-year low, according to new figures.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the authority revealed the amount spent, as well as the drop in the number of prescriptions handed out for the drug.

As of October 7, the cost to NHS Tayside of prescribing the painkiller to patients since January was £385, 306, compared to £1,021,335 in 2015.

At the time of the FOI response, there had been 103,633 paracetamol prescriptions – fewer than half of the 220,134 prescribed in 2015.

Since 2015, the cost of these prescriptions and number handed out to patients has decreased year on year.

By 2016, it had dropped to £1,004,228. The figure further declined to £861,610 and £784,764 in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

An NHS Tayside spokesperson said the reduction could be due to a range of factors.

They said: “We may be using less expensive formulations, for example a reduction in liquid or capsules, but without further analysis we could not say for certain.

“(It) may be due to people with shortterm self-limiting conditions buying their own paracetamol instead of getting it prescribed.”

The chairman of Perth and Kinross Council Integration Joint Board, SNP councillor Eric Drysdale, welcomed the figures, describing them as “really positive”.

He said: “Prescription costs are obviously a big area of ongoing expenditure and so we need to control these tightly.

“Some patients are prescribed paracetamol on a medium or long-term basis to alleviate pain, and there is no suggestion that this should change.

“However, it is a great help if patients suffering from short-term conditions can, where possible, purchase their own pain relief over the counter.”

Scottish Conservative MSP Liz Smith, who represents Mid Scotland and Fife, said: “It is important to point out that every pound saved is vital to help improve and invest in our Scottish NHS and the nation’s health.”

Every pound saved is vital to help improve and invest in our Scottish NHS and the nation’s health. MSP LIZ SMITH