09.07.15
‘Serious concern’ as prescriptions up by 55% since 2004 - AoMRC
In the last decade the number of prescriptions dispensed in England has increased by 55%, which the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) says is a “serious concern” to the medical profession.
Earlier this week, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) revealed that more than a billion items were prescribed in 2014, an increase of 55.2% on 2004 when 378.5 million were prescribed.
The Prescriptions Dispensed in the Community 2004-2014 report looks at prescriptions dispensed in England by community pharmacists, appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and prescriptions for items administered in GP practices.
During the decade, the number of prescriptions for statins, to protect against heart disease, rose by more than double, with 68 million issued in 2014.
On top of this, there was a 97% increase in antidepressant prescriptions since 2004, with 57 million items issued last year.
Professor Dame Sue Bailey, chairman of AoMRC, said: “It’s of serious concern to the medical profession that the number of prescription items has increased so much, especially when we know too that over £300m worth of medicines are simply thrown away every year.”
In May, AoMRC – which represents all 21 medical royal colleges in the UK – launched the ‘Choose Wisely’ campaign, aimed at encouraging both doctors and patients to have a “conversation” about the value of treatments.
At the time the organisation stated: “As medicine has progressed, many in the medical profession and patient representative groups, believe the trend has been to ‘over medicalise’ illness.”
Prof Bailey said: “Doctors and their patients should always discuss whether a particular prescription is really necessary and reach the decision together.”
Responding to the latest HSCIC figures, RCGP chair Dr Maureen Baker said that prescribing is a core skill for GPs and patients can be assured that their family doctor will prescribe medication only when necessary and where other alternatives have been explored. GPs also have to adhere to strict and robust monitoring systems.
“We have an ageing population and more patients are presenting with complex and multiple conditions including mental health issues,” she said. “Compared to 2004 we have better survival for conditions such as cancer and heart disease, so many more people are taking multiple medications. We are also more systematic in identifying and treating problems such as hypertension and diabetes.”
Dr Baker added that, increasingly, there needs to be more effective ways of looking after people with multiple conditions to achieve the right balance between making sure patients have the medications needed for the best possible quality of life, without running into problems from side-effects and interactions from multiple medications.
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