Patients could help cut NHS drugs bill

The NHS could save ?800 million a year by involving patients more in prescription decisions, a new campaign group has claimed.

Ask About Medicines Week launches on Monday November 7th and aims to encourage patients to ask more questions about the drugs they are prescribed.

The Ask About Medicines Group believes better involvement of patients would mean patients are given the drugs most suited to their needs and are therefore more likely to complete a course of treatment.

“Better communication between health professionals and medicine users should help them to agree about taking medicines or other treatment approaches and ensure that NHS money is used effectively,” said Joanne Shaw, chair of the scheme.

It is estimated that ten per cent of prescription medicines are never used, with ?100 million of unused medicines returned to pharmacists every year.

An earlier survey by the Healthcare Commission found that 41 per cent of people were not as involved in drug selection as they would like, while 44 per cent felt they were not given enough information about other options.

Medicines account for 12 per cent of the NHS budget and the number of prescriptions written has increased 50 per cent since 1994.

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