Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the difficulties created by users of continence products by the practices from wholesalers and the introduction of off script supply and formularies.

Under the current legislative framework, continence products are supplied by pharmaceutical services providers, including pharmacists, dispensing appliance contractors and dispensing doctors in response to a National Health Service prescription. Part IX of the Drug Tariff sets out the products that general practitioners can prescribe on an NHS prescription in primary care. If there are local arrangements outside of these national arrangements, it would be for local commissioners as part of their commissioning process to assess the suitability of these arrangements.