Mental Illness: Prescription Drugs
(asked on 23rd February 2016) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cost to the NHS of prescribed drugs for the treatment of mental health during each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of whether those drugs are being over-prescribed.
Information about the cost of prescribed drugs for the treatment of mental health during the last five years is given in the following table. No assessment has been made of whether the drugs are being over-prescribed.
National Health Service cost (£) of drugs used to treat mental health in primary care and secondary care in England, 2010/11 to 2014/15
| 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 |
Primary care | £875,627 | £895,885 | £705,325 | £755,679 | £683,102 |
Secondary care | £93,717 | £95,311 | £88,981 | £91,170 | £95,565 |
Total | £969,344 | £991,196 | £794,306 | £846,849 | £778,667 |
Information on why a drug has been prescribed is not available. Many of the drugs can be prescribed to treat a number of conditions. Therefore, it is possible that other medicines, not included in this response, have been prescribed for mental health. Also, the medicines included may have been prescribed to treat other conditions.
Notes:
- Medicines from the following British National Formulary sections have been included to cover ‘the treatment of mental health’:
4.1 - hypnotics and anxiolytics
4.2 - drugs used in psychoses
4.3 - antidepressant drugs
4.4 - drugs for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
4.5 - drugs used in substance dependence
4.6 - drugs for dementia
- Cost information provided is the total Net Ingredient Cost and is the basic cost of the drug, which does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income. Primary care data has been taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis.