Problems mount up for battling Blackpool as NHS bill for pills soars
BLACKPOOL is the misery capital of the country with its residents most likely to be suffering from pain and mental anguish, NHS figures show.
The Lancashire seaside town, famous for its illuminations, tower and ballroom, is also home to a population prescribed more painkillers and antidepressants than anywhere else in the country.
Health officials spend £13.19 per patient on painkillers, the highest figure in the country, and another £6.83 per patient on antidepressants, the second highest in the nation.
The total spend – £20.02 – is six per cent higher than near neighbour St Helens, which came in second place with a combined spend of £18.81 per patient.
Out of 106 health areas – called Clinical
Commissioning
Groups – in the country, the highest 10 spending areas are in the north of
England – seven in the north west.
Last year, GPS in England wrote out 60 million painkiller prescriptions, costing the NHS £451million, and 83 million prescriptions for antidepressants, costing £228million.
In Blackpool around one in five patients was prescribed painkillers last year, with the same proportion being put on antidepressants. Many will be on both medications at the same time.
Last year, it spent £1.2million on antidepressants and £2.3million on painkillers for its 175,000 patients.
The health authorities covering London were found to spend the least amount per patient for these two types of drugs.
Northwest London health area – that covers affluent parts of the capital such as Kensington, Fulham andwestminster – spends just £3.14 a patient on painkillers and £2.25 per patient on antidepressants.
Its total spend on these medications is £5.39, around a quarter of Blackpool’s.
A recent report also found Blackpool to be one of the most deprived towns in England, scoring poorly in national league tables for violent crime, selfharming, suicides, alcohol problems, cancer deaths and life expectancy.
Andrewwhite, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board chief pharmacist, said: “Blackpool has some severely deprived areas, residents living in poor quality housing, lots of people on low incomes and high levels of unemployment – even before the current cost of living crisis.
“These things massively impact on people’s wellbeing, so it is no surprise we have more people who are living with depression.we work hard with mental health service providers and GPS to make sure there’s a good mix of psychological therapy services available. In many circumstances there is also an appropriate need to prescribe anti-depressants.
“We know there are many people with long-term, non-cancer pain such as back pain.while we offer therapy and other treatments including painkillers, there is unfortunately potential for people to become dependent on painkillers. We have developed a strategy to help GP practices identify at-risk patients and are working to reduce levels of prescribing.”