Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people presenting at NHS services because they are unable to purchase general sales list medicines for (a) themselves and (b) their children in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and if he will make a statement.

On 23 August 2018 the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with pharmacy (P) or prescription-only medicines (POM) from, or via, the European Union/European Economic Area (EEA), asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the event of a no deal EU Exit.

Over-the-counter ‘General Sales List’ (GSL) medicines are not included in the Department’s medicines supply contingency programme. GSLs are not considered in-scope for the programme as there are multiple alternatives available should a single GSL medicine be subject to a short-term supply disruption.

The Department is currently considering how best it may support pharmaceutical companies as part of its medicine supply contingency programme. Part of this support will include funding to provide additional capacity for the storage of P and POM medicines in the UK. A process to apply for such funding has been undertaken in recent weeks and contract agreements are imminent.