Kate Garraway discusses the NHS and the private sector
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The UK’s income squeeze started in earnest last month when Ofgem greenlit a £630 boost to the energy price cap on April 1. The change immediately crushed many low-income families as they anticipated a National Insurance hike set to eat into their remaining income. Britons may soon struggle to source medicine as that same pressure envelops the NHS.
Recent data has shown the service faces a “generics” shortage.
The drug class includes some of the UK’s most commonly used medicines, both over-the-counter and not.
And they make up approximately four in five medications used by the NHS, which saves around £15 billion a year from sourcing patent-less products.
Supplies of both the products themselves and the ingredients used to make them are dwindling under the choked supply chain.
Five types of pills many people take every day are among the most profoundly impacted by the shortage.
They include:
- Antidepressants
- Blood pressure medication
- Steroids
- Arthritis relief pills
- Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) drugs
Data provides a more devastating general picture of the crisis, with many more medicines caught up in supply chain issues.
Figures reported by the I paper show “just under 50” generic medicines listed as “having supply issues”.
The data shows a marked increase on the last month, 25 percent in total, and some are irreplaceable without a new prescription.
Of the 50 identified in the figures, 44 do not have an equivalent alternative.
Patients requiring a replacement will have to procure a new prescription from their GP first, and appointments are equally scarce.
Britons are finding it increasingly difficult to book GP appointments due to additional shortages.
NHS staff numbers have plummeted in recent years, with 1,343 fewer doctors available for patients compared to 2017.
And an additional 3.1 million patients since then has left doctors responsible for thousands each.
The seismic shift in the healthcare industry leaves one doctor to approximately every 2,200 patients.
In April, data showed that NHS waiting lists had grown to record levels.
Approximately 6.1 million people were waiting for treatment at the time, NHS figures found.
And of them, nearly 24,000 patients had spent more than two years on the list.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has warned the trend could continue for years more as the country attempts to recover from Covid.
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