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NHS bans prescription heartburn and indigestion drugs to cut costs

To cut costs, the NHS will soon no longer prescribe heartburn and indigestion drugs.

The new scheme is part of a wide prescription review, with the details of the new rules due to be released for consultation on Friday. It will be prohibited doctors from prescribing drugs readily and inexpensively available from high street chemists. The prohibited prescription drugs will include paracetemol, cough and cold medicines, drugs for indigestion and heartburn, hay fever treatments, sun cream, and travel vaccinations. Patients suffering from coeliac disease will have to pay for any gluten-free food they need.

The move is part of new measures, which have the aim of shaving £1bn off NHS costs. NHS England’s chief executive, Simon Stevens, has also pledged to enforce a crackdown on the costs involved in treating EU patients and means to do this by recovering the cost of their treatment from their native countries.

An NHS England spokesman said, “The increasing demand for prescriptions for medication that can be bought over the counter at relatively low cost, often for self-limiting or minor conditions, underlines the need for all healthcare professionals to work even closer with patients to ensure the best possible value from NHS resources, while eliminating wastage and improving patient outcomes.”

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned that the ban could prevent poorer patients from being able to access essential medication.

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