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<p>The Department has made no such assessment. From December 2017 to March 2018, NHS
England carried out a public consultation on reducing prescribing of over-the-counter
medicines for minor, short-term health concerns, ‘Conditions for which over the counter
items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: A consultation on guidance
for CCGs’ which can be found at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/over-the-counter-items-not-routinely-prescribed/"
target="_blank">https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/over-the-counter-items-not-routinely-prescribed/</a></p><p>
</p><p>At the end of March 2018, NHS England published guidance to enable savings
of up to £100 million for frontline care each year by curbing prescriptions for ‘over
the counter’ medicines. The guidance does not affect prescribing of over the counter
items for longer term or more complex conditions, or where minor illnesses are symptomatic
or a side effect of something more serious.</p><p> </p><p>We are informed by NHS England
that in the 12 months to January 2019, the total National Health Service spend in
England on over the counter items was £449.4 million. This was a saving on total spend
of £25.9 million from the corresponding figure for the 12 months to January 2018,
which was £475.3 million. This saving does not account for the potential impact to
the NHS from a reduced number of general practitioner appointments, for which no assessment
has been made.</p>
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