The number of prescriptions made outside hospitals in England has risen almost 70 per cent in a decade, according to the NHS Information Centre.
While in 2000 there were 552 million items prescribed, that rose to 927 million in 2010.
Drugs to counter cardiovascular disease, such as statins which lower cholesterol and ACE inhibitors which lower blood pressure, are now the most frequently prescribed.
Meanwhile, the drugs bill to tackle diabetes has risen rapidly. Experts say this is due both to a rise in the numbers of people with the disease – curreently estimated at about 2.5 million – and the fact a number of expensive new treatments have come on to the market.
Overall, the prescription drugs bill has risen 58 per cent between 2000 and 2010, from £5.59 billion to £8.83 billion – close to 10 per cent of the entire NHS budget.
The number of prescriptions per person has also risen sharply, from 11.2 in 2000 to 17.8 in 2010, which translates to an increase in the average cost per head from £113 to £169.
The Patients’ Association believes doctors are doling out drugs too easily, although others emphasise that the population is ageing – and older people need more drugs to keep them healthy.
NHS prescription
Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients’ Association said: “If patients are getting access to more of the medicines they need, in particular more specifically tailored medicines, we would welcome this move.
“However, we are concerned that with consultation times being so short, rather than being able to tackle the problems patients have, doctors may be simply prescribing medicines.”
The new figures were released a day after the Family Doctor Association warned that four in five GPs were prescribing drugs to patients that they suspected were addicted to them.
Many are also concerned about medicalising large sections of the population: some seven million now take statins alone.
However, Prof David Taylor of the School of Pharmacy at London University, defended the widespread use of preventative medicines for chronic diseases.
He said: “In my view it’s deeply desirable to use these drugs.”
Drugs like ACE inhibitors had transformed the treatment of heart failure, he said, while statins were proven to lower the risk of cardiac events.
He said the numbers of prescriptions had risen in part due to the ageing population, in part due to greater prevalence of lifestyle diseases, and in part due to smarter ways of prescribing that resulted in smaller doses of more drugs.
He also pointed out that the average cost of individual drugs was going down as more were going ‘off-patent’. That is borne out by the NHS figures, which show the cost per prescription has dropped from £10.12 in 2000 to £9.53 in 2010.
But Mike Holden, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said there was “a huge amount of waste” in prescribing.
“Up to half of all medicines for long term conditions are not taken as intended by the prescriber,” he said.
“There is no doubt that much more value for patients and the tax payer could be extracted from this massive investment by supporting more effective medicines use.”
Paul Burstow, the Care Services Minister, said: “The big rise in prescribing revealed today largely reflects the impact of a growing and ageing population, as well as an increase in the prescribing of preventative medicines, such as low cost statins, for cardiovascular diseases.”
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BRITAIN has become a nation of pill-poppers with an average of 18 prescriptions a year handed out by doctors to every person.
Millions are now reliant on powerful drugs, with GP orders for treatments soaring by nearly 70 per cent in just a decade.
And this only accounts for a fraction of the tablets and medicines we are taking. A huge range of treatments are freely available over the counter without a prescription.
High blood pressure and heart failure accounted for a high number of prescriptions, while drugs to treat diabetes were among the most costly.
Earlier this month, figures from the British Heart Foundation revealed that cholesterol-busting statins make up a fifth of all heart medicines prescribed each year in England.
They are dished out at the rate of over a million prescriptions a week, while the equivalent of 18 million drugs of all descriptions are handed out each week.
A total of 266 million cardiovascular drug prescriptions are issued each year – a huge increase on 30 years ago.
It exposes the true toll the nation’s harmful habits such as gorging on junk food, smoking and boozing are having on long-term health.
The new figures revealed that last year 927 million prescription items were dispensed in England, up 4.6 per cent on 2009 and 68 per cent on 2000. For every person in England an average of 17.8 prescription items were dispensed, compared to 17.1 in 2009 and 11.2 in 2000.
The average cost per head was £169 in 2010, compared to £165 in 2009 and just £113 in 2000.
And it was disclosed that the overall net ingredient cost of all items dispensed was £8.83billion in 2010.
This is up four per cent on the previous year and 58 per cent on 2000. But the average cost per item was £9.53 – down from £10.12 in 2000.
The data, from the NHS Information Centre, relates to prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists.
Chief executive Tim Straughan said: “This report shows that on average people in England are receiving more prescription items than 10 years ago, although the average cost of each prescription item has decreased over the same period.”
Mike Holden, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “Prescribed medicines represent the largest non-staff element of the NHS budget (approx £9billion per year in England) so it is vital to get value for money.
“There is a huge amount of waste. Up to half of all medicines for long-term conditions are not taken as intended.
“There is no doubt that much more value for patients and the taxpayer could be extracted from this massive investment by supporting more effective medicines use. After all, the least cost-effective medicine is one that is used improperly or not at all.”
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said: “The big rise in prescribing largely reflects the impact of a growing and ageing population, as well as an increase in prescribing preventative medicines, such as low-cost statins for cardiovascular diseases.
“These figures show the demand for healthcare is increasing. The NHS must adapt and innovate to ensure it can meet these demands.
“We are increasing investment in the NHS by £12.5billion but the NHS needs to be smarter with its resources.
“That is why we are continuing to encourage the prescribing of preventative medicines, which help to prevent illness and improve patient outcomes.”