Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement, Millions at risk from antidepressant withdrawal, new review concludes, published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence in October 2018, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the accuracy of prescribing guidance issued by the NHS.

The Government takes the issue of responsible prescribing seriously. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance for the National Health Service on the safe prescribing and withdrawal management of prescribed drugs associated with dependence and withdrawal. NICE’s guidance will be based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and developed through extensive engagement with stakeholders. NICE expects to publish draft guidance in May 2021 with final guidance in November 2021.

On 10 September Public Health England will publish its evidence review on dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines, including anti-depressants. This work is timely as it follows the Chief Medical Officer opioids roundtable held earlier this year and will further our understanding of dependency on prescribed medicines in England and Wales and how such issues should be addressed. We look forward to working with PHE to look at taking forward any recommendations made in the review.