NHS spends £100,000 on prescriptions for shower gel, body wash and toothpaste
MORE than £100,000 has been spent by the Welsh NHS over the past two years handing out shampoo, toothpaste and body wash on prescription, it has been revealed.
The spend was described as a “waste” by the Taxpayers’ Alliance which claims the money would be better allocated to essential services like cancer treatment.
According to a Freedom of Information request, £108,436.22 was spent on Colgate toothpaste, Neutrogena shampoo, and Aveeno body wash in 201617 and 2017-18 combined.
But as two of Wales’ seven health boards opted not to disclose their spend over the two-year period, the overall amount is likely to be far higher.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board spent the highest amount among the health boards which did respond (£35,118.77), closely followed by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg UHB (£34,104.59) and Hywel Dda (£21,136.98).
At the other end of the scale Powys (£8,733.33) and Cwm Taf (£9,342.55) spent the least.
Campaigners claim the Welsh NHS should not be prescribing these items when they could be easily bought by patients.
Aveeno body wash is sometimes given to patients who suffer with the skin condition eczema and Neutrogena shampoo is handed out to those who have problems with dandruff, sensitive scalps, or greasy hair.
Powys Teaching Health Board was the only one to spend big on Colgate toothpaste, forking out £3,415.86 between 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Commenting on the figures TaxPayers’ Alliance chief executive John O’Connell said: “At a time when the NHS in Wales is failing to meet basic targets for cancer diagnosis it can’t be right that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on basic items that are much cheaper to buy in the supermarket than they are to prescribe.
“The NHS should be cutting out waste where it can and offering value for money, ensuring that precious resources are spent on essential services.
“We know that groundbreaking new drugs are often refused funding so it’s time that the NHS cuts out wasteful spending on everyday items and thinks again about its priorities.”
But the Welsh Government says it is often necessary to give these products to patients – particularly those who don’t have support networks around them – to retain their cleanliness and dignity while in hospital. A spokesman said: “Our NHS provides person-centred, compassionate care for everyone it serves.
“Not everyone who is admitted to hospital is fortunate enough to have support from friends and family to provide them with toiletries while they are receiving treatment. Some may not be able to afford these items or may have been admitted unexpectedly.
“It’s for health boards to decide how they allocate their budgets for the benefit of their patients.
“Denying them products to keep themselves clean, for a cost that represents around 0.0008% of total NHS spend each year, would seem to be very callous indeed.”
A spokesman for the Welsh NHS Confederation added: “The NHS in Wales treats and cares for thousands of people on a dayto-day basis, with around 9,500 patients occupying our beds at any one time.
“Our staff do a great job of making sure patients are as comfortable as possible while they are being treated.
“Some patients who are treated by the health service do not have access to these basic toiletries and they rightly expect their health service to ensure they can maintain their dignity while in our care.”