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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/28/nhs-england-crackdown-ineffective-treatments-save-money
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| No more silk pyjamas: NHS cracks down on ineffective treatments | No more silk pyjamas: NHS cracks down on ineffective treatments |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| NHS England is to stop buying silk pyjamas for patients who have serious skin conditions as part of a crackdown on treatments it says are not proven to work. | NHS England is to stop buying silk pyjamas for patients who have serious skin conditions as part of a crackdown on treatments it says are not proven to work. |
| The health service plans to no longer purchase silk nightwear and gloves for people with eczema and dermatitis because of a lack of evidence of their effectiveness. | The health service plans to no longer purchase silk nightwear and gloves for people with eczema and dermatitis because of a lack of evidence of their effectiveness. |
| The proposed ban is part of a plan to restrict or end patients’ access to eight different treatments, or replace them with another form of care, in an attempt to save £68m a year. | The proposed ban is part of a plan to restrict or end patients’ access to eight different treatments, or replace them with another form of care, in an attempt to save £68m a year. |
| Simon Stevens, NHS England’s chief executive, said: “It is essential the NHS should not be paying for anything which has been proven to be ineffective or where there are safer or cheaper alternatives. | Simon Stevens, NHS England’s chief executive, said: “It is essential the NHS should not be paying for anything which has been proven to be ineffective or where there are safer or cheaper alternatives. |
| “The NHS is one of the most efficient health services in the world but, as part of the long-term plan for the NHS, we’re determined to make taxpayers’ money go further and drive savings back into frontline care.” | “The NHS is one of the most efficient health services in the world but, as part of the long-term plan for the NHS, we’re determined to make taxpayers’ money go further and drive savings back into frontline care.” |
| An NHS England board meeting on Wednesday will also approve plans to prevent GPs from prescribing gluten-free foods such as pizzas and cakes to people who are allergic to gluten. | An NHS England board meeting on Wednesday will also approve plans to prevent GPs from prescribing gluten-free foods such as pizzas and cakes to people who are allergic to gluten. |
| The service also plans to stop prescribing four drugs for common conditions, all because of a lack of evidence: | The service also plans to stop prescribing four drugs for common conditions, all because of a lack of evidence: |
| Aliskiren, a blood pressure drug, saving an estimated £939,300 | Aliskiren, a blood pressure drug, saving an estimated £939,300 |
| Amiodarone, for abnormal heart rhythms (£1.1m) | Amiodarone, for abnormal heart rhythms (£1.1m) |
| Dronedarone, given to patients with atrial fibrillation (1.7m) | Dronedarone, given to patients with atrial fibrillation (1.7m) |
| Minocycline, prescribed for acne (£637,400) | Minocycline, prescribed for acne (£637,400) |
| Aliskiren, a blood pressure drug, saving an estimated £939,300 | Aliskiren, a blood pressure drug, saving an estimated £939,300 |
| Amiodarone, for abnormal heart rhythms (£1.1m) | Amiodarone, for abnormal heart rhythms (£1.1m) |
| Dronedarone, given to patients with atrial fibrillation (1.7m) | Dronedarone, given to patients with atrial fibrillation (1.7m) |
| Minocycline, prescribed for acne (£637,400) | Minocycline, prescribed for acne (£637,400) |
| The latest list of items that should not be routinely prescribed, which will be subject to a public consultation, also includes emollient bath and shower products that are used by those with eczema and dermatitis. | The latest list of items that should not be routinely prescribed, which will be subject to a public consultation, also includes emollient bath and shower products that are used by those with eczema and dermatitis. |
| The consultation is seeking views on what NHS England says are items of relatively low clinical effectiveness, items that are clinically effective but where more cost-effective alternatives are available, or items that are clinically effective but deemed a low priority for NHS funding. | The consultation is seeking views on what NHS England says are items of relatively low clinical effectiveness, items that are clinically effective but where more cost-effective alternatives are available, or items that are clinically effective but deemed a low priority for NHS funding. |
| By far the biggest saving the NHS hopes to make is replacing needles for pre-filled and reusable insulin pens used by diabetics with what it says are “more cost-effective products”. | By far the biggest saving the NHS hopes to make is replacing needles for pre-filled and reusable insulin pens used by diabetics with what it says are “more cost-effective products”. |
| Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, the chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said the RCGP backed NHS England’s drive not to spend money on treatments that have little evidence to support them. | Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, the chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said the RCGP backed NHS England’s drive not to spend money on treatments that have little evidence to support them. |
| She said she supported the ban on gluten-free products because they are widely available in supermarkets. | She said she supported the ban on gluten-free products because they are widely available in supermarkets. |
| “Many treatments or medications are available very cheaply over the counter and some, for example gluten-free products, are much more readily obtainable than when they first became available on prescription several decades ago,” Stokes-Lampard said. “GPs will be mindful of this when making a decision to prescribe and it’s important that the public recognises it too.” | “Many treatments or medications are available very cheaply over the counter and some, for example gluten-free products, are much more readily obtainable than when they first became available on prescription several decades ago,” Stokes-Lampard said. “GPs will be mindful of this when making a decision to prescribe and it’s important that the public recognises it too.” |
| She endorsed NHS England’s plea that patients who can afford to do so should buy certain drugs themselves in shops and chemists rather than expecting the service to provide them. | She endorsed NHS England’s plea that patients who can afford to do so should buy certain drugs themselves in shops and chemists rather than expecting the service to provide them. |
| “If patients are in a position that they can afford to buy over-the-counter medicines and products then we would encourage them to do so rather than request a prescription,” Stokes-Lampard said. | “If patients are in a position that they can afford to buy over-the-counter medicines and products then we would encourage them to do so rather than request a prescription,” Stokes-Lampard said. |
| However, she added that family doctors must have the final say on exactly what they prescribe. “It remains essential that GPs are able to make decisions based on the best interests of the patient in front of them, taking into account the physical, psychological and social factors potentially impacting on their health. We have previously been assured this will be the case,” she said. | However, she added that family doctors must have the final say on exactly what they prescribe. “It remains essential that GPs are able to make decisions based on the best interests of the patient in front of them, taking into account the physical, psychological and social factors potentially impacting on their health. We have previously been assured this will be the case,” she said. |
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