Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the saving to the public purse has been since over the counter medicines were taken off the prescription list in 2018.

In March 2018, NHS England and NHS Improvement and NHS Clinical Commissioners published ‘Conditions for which over the counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: Guidance for Clinical Commissioning Groups’, available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/conditions-for-which-over-the-counter-items-should-not-routinely-be-prescribed-in-primary-care-guidance-for-ccgs/

Since publication, there has been a reduction in spend of £32 million on over the counter items. This reduction includes spending on over the counter items for conditions that are self-limiting and conditions which lend themselves to self-care, as well as vitamins, minerals and probiotics.

This estimate is correct as at 10 July 2020. It should be noted that the list of over the counter products is updated as new products become available.