National Voices’ response to NHS England’s consultation; ‘Items which are available over-the-counter and should not be routinely prescribed in primary care’

This follows National Voices’ published position statement of 21 July 2017; submission to the NHS England consultation titled “Items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care” in October 2017; and published letter to the Chief Executive of NHS England dated 24 November 2017.

We are pleased that the latest plans have taken into account concerns raised by National Voices during the previous consultation about the impact on people with long term, conditions. We continue to have the following concerns about the proposals:

• Legal advice of the guidance’s compatibility with the NHS constitution has not been published
• The exception for long term conditions is at risk of being misinterpreted without further clarifications
• The exception for vulnerability needs further clarifications with GPs also being supported to make assessments of this nature
• The scope and eligibility of the exceptions as explained in the documents and as explained during the consultation process appear to be different
• The success of the guidance’s implementation rests on self-care but does not go further in encouraging what is truly needed to encourage effective self-care or self-management

If you would like to read this response in an alternative format, please get in touch.