A new strategy is being mounted to rein in Angus’s rocketing prescription costs.
After new data revealed the district tops the Scottish league for the amount spent on prescribing medication, health bosses have now approved plans aimed at bringing the bill in check.
And they say Angus residents must play their part in cutting down prescribed medicines which are little or never used.
The move comes after MSPs on Holyrood’s public scrutiny committee slated NHS Tayside’s financial management at a meeting in Dundee, where it emerged £200 million is needed for the body to break even.
Prescription costs are a major issue across the whole NHS Tayside area and the Integrated Joint Board (IJB) for the Angus Health and Social Care Partnership has now approved plans to tackle the problem.
The Partnership said the Angus costs were putting pressure on its ability to deliver services within budget.
An increasing number of people living longer on multiple medications and the uptake of newer, more expensive medications are part of what has been described as a complex problem.
Dr Alison Clement, clinical director for the Angus Partnership, is leading a programme of work approved by the IJB to ensure safe, effective prescribing, to examine medicines management, identify good practice and to deliver more cost-effective prescribing.
Dr Clement said: “The Angus Prescribing Management Team meets monthly and is leading the development of an Angus prescribing workplan which includes regionally-prioritised actions along with a range of local actions.
“We are working closely with GP practices across Angus and will be visiting them over the coming weeks to carry out quality prescribing reviews, developing action plans and sharing good practice.
“I am also working in partnership with colleagues in the regional Tayside Prescribing Management Group, which is developing a five-year strategic plan.
“Developed in collaboration with clinical teams across Tayside, the plan aims to deliver the best possible healthcare at the lowest possible cost, delivering the best experience for patients. “
She added: “The partnership also uses the NHS Tayside prescribing system which provides an agreed formulary for clinical staff to prescribe from to ensure the most cost-efficient and effective drug choices.
“Patients in Angus also play an important role in reducing prescribing costs in Angus. That’s why the partnership continues to support NHS Tayside public campaigns to reduce the number of items prescribed that are partially, or never, used,” said Dr Clement.
A Let’s Talk Medicines campaign launched locally by NHS Tayside last week encourages people on repeat prescriptions to look again at the medicines they take and speak to their pharmacist or GP if they have any questions or concerns and only order the medication they need.
Audit Scotland has estimated that Scotland’s avoidable drug waste bill is between £12 and £18 million per year. In Angus, that would equate to approximately £400,000.
