Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of people who had an addiction to a prescription drug in each of the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not held. There are primary care codes (SNOMED CT) that can be used by primary care teams to record the physical and mental symptoms associated with dependence and withdrawal from prescribed drugs, although there are challenges in linking symptom and diagnostic data with prescribed medicines use.
However, in March 2023, NHS England published ‘Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: framework for action’. The framework sets out the scale of and change to prescribing of five medicines associated with dependence over time. Other sources of data such as Openprescribing also enable variation and comparisons in prescribing to be reviewed at different system levels, such as integrated care board, primary care network or practice level.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will fund a national helpline and website for people suffering from prescribed drug dependency, as recommended by Public Health England in 2019.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This helpline recommendation formed part of a wider set of actions to improve the support available from the healthcare system to people who are dependent on prescription drugs. NHS England has been the facilitator of system partners in their work to deliver the review recommendations. In March 2023, NHS England published ‘Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: Framework for action for ICBs and primary care’. A copy is attached. This document includes five actions, resources and case studies that will help systems to develop plans that can support people who are taking medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal symptoms.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the evidential basis is for cocaine being classed as a Schedule 2 controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Cocaine is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as a Class A drug and placed in Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (“the 2001 Regulations”).
Drugs placed in Schedule 2 to the 2001 Regulations have some known therapeutic value in the UK and are subject to strict prescribing, record keeping and storage requirements. In addition to the 2001 Regulations, the prescribing of cocaine will also be subject to the requirement of the Misuse of Drugs (Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1997, if prescribed to someone with a drug dependence disorder.
Cocaine is a licensed medicine authorised for local anaesthesia and vasoconstriction of the mucous membranes, for use in procedures such as oral and ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued to Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust to help ensure Pregabalin is not misused in patients who consume alcohol and smoke while being prescribed that drug.
Answered by Will Quince
No specific guidance has been issued. Pregabalin is a controlled substance and the British National Formulary states that healthcare professionals should evaluate patients for a history of drug misuse before prescribing pregabalin and observe patients for the development of signs of misuse and dependence.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 125 of Public Health England's report entitled Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines, published in December 2020, for what reason a helpline or website has not been funded for people who are dependent on prescription drugs.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The 2019 review recommended that the Department consider the development of a time-limited national helpline and associated website. However, the Department’s recent Spending Review settlement did not allow for funding to be allocated to this recommendation.
To support those dependent on prescription medication, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued guidelines on chronic pain and medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms. NHS England is developing a framework to support integrated Care boards on prescribing medicines which can cause dependence and withdrawal. This will inform the development of services which can offer alternatives to medicines and support patients experiencing prescribed drug dependence or withdrawal. The framework is expected to be published in autumn 2022.
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Conservative - Devizes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations of the 2019 PHE Prescribed Medicines Review, when he plans to introduce a dedicated national helpline and website to support people with prescribed drug dependence.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
NHS England and NHS Improvement are leading a programme of work in response to the recommendations in Public Health England’s ‘Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines: An evidence review’. The recommendation for a time-limited dedicated national helpline and website is being carefully considered as part of this work.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Oversight Group overseeing implementations on dependence forming medicines, if he will (a) list the members of the group, (b) announce when the recommendations will be published and (c) state which patient groups and experts are being consulted; and whether the independent review by Professor Dame Carol Black into the misuse of illegal drugs will inform the implementations.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
NHS England and NHS Improvement have established an oversight group to oversee the NHS recommendations from Public Health England (PHE)’s prescribed medicines review. The oversight group is jointly chaired by Dr Keith Ridge, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, and Dr Nikiita Kanani, Primary Care Medical Director for NHS England and NHS Improvement.
The membership of the group includes:
- NHS England and NHS Improvement
- The Department of Health and Social Care
- Public Health England
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
- NHS Clinical Commissioners
- NHSX
Further consideration is being given on wider engagement with patient groups, charities and people with lived experience, alongside clinical experts, professional bodies and Royal Colleges, including the potential for a separate advisory stakeholder group to support development and implementation.
The remit of the group is dependence forming prescription medicines, as this is the scope of the PHE review. However, the group will be considering relevant evidence and reviews from a range of sources, including the independent review by Professor Dame Carol Black into illicit drug use.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop and launch a national helpline which is open 24 hours every day to support those affected by prescribed drug dependence; and whether such a service will be developed with the input of relevant charities and patient groups.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
In September 2019, Public Health England published an evidence review on the problems of dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines. The review recommended the Department considers supporting the development of a time-limited national helpline and associated website. NHS England and NHS Improvement are considering the recommendations from the review, including the recommendation for a helpline, and other evidence to develop a set of actions to reduce and treat prescription medicine dependency.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure specialist withdrawal services are available to support patients dependent on prescribed benzodiazepine and z drug tranquillisers.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In September 2019 Public Health England published an evidence review of medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal, including benzodiazepines and z drugs. The report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prescribed-medicines-review-report
Alongside ongoing improvements to medicines safety and the use of prescribed drugs, NHS England is reviewing the recommendations from this review and other evidence to develop a set of actions to reduce and treat prescription medicine dependency.
A national review of overprescribing in the National Health Service is being led by Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Dr Keith Ridge and will be published in 2020. This will focus on people who take multiple medicines to ensure patients are receiving the most appropriate treatment for their needs. The review will consider how to improve management of non-reviewed repeat prescriptions including prescriptions beyond guidelines, and the role of digital technologies in reducing overprescribing.
The Government is committed to growing the workforce by 6,000 more doctors in general practice and 6,000 more primary care professionals, including pharmacists. This is on top of the additional 20,000 primary care professionals NHS England are providing funding towards recruiting. Community pharmacists have a key role in monitoring the care and treatment of patients, and would be in a position to review a patient’s medication usage and prescriptions.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of treatment for (a) opioid and (b) other prescription drug addiction.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Opioids and other prescription drugs that can be dependency forming, and the Government is taking action to protect people from addiction and inappropriate prescribing. On 10 September, Public Health England published an evidence review of dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines and the Government is currently working with stakeholders to consider the recommendations in the review.