The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7376 p631
19 November 2005

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· The Guild (2)
· Gender
· Prescriptions
· Medicines use reviews (3)
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· Skin cancer
· North East London LPC
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Letters to the Editor

Prescriptions

Do prescription charges prevent “frivolous use of NHS resources”?

From Mr M. Allan, MRPharmS

For as long as I can remember, pharmacists have denounced prescription charges as a “tax on the sick”. This has been repeated whenever charges have been increased. It has been frequently reported that patients have, on occasions, asked which item(s) they could do without due to the expense involved.

How has the situation changed such that it enables those pharmacy representatives who addressed members of the Scottish Parliament’s health committee (PJ, 5 November, p564) to recommend retention of charges with the provision that exempted categories be reviewed?

One pharmacy spokesperson is reported as saying that charging for prescriptions prevents frivolous use of NHS resources. Where is the evidence to support such an assertion? It could be equally argued that the current system encourages those who are not exempt to request larger supplies at any one time with greater potential for waste.

It would be interesting to know if the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Welsh Executive has any evidence to show that the phased elimination of charges has led to any “frivolous use of NHS resources”.

Malcolm Allan
Bishopbriggs, Glasgow

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