Asked by: David Tredinnick (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he last met the Head of the Professional Standards Authority; what was discussed at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Philip Dunne
My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not met one to one with the Chief Executive of the Professional Standards Authority.
Asked by: David Tredinnick (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons were for his Department's announcement of 13 November 2015 that it intended to undertake a consultation on whether homeopathic prescriptions should be added to Schedule 1 of products not considered effective for us on the NHS; and what discussions he had on this announcement with external stakeholders prior to 13 November 2015.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Government has made no such announcement and has not had discussions with external stakeholders.
Asked by: David Tredinnick (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Government said in correspondence to Bindmans LLP on 24 April 2015 that a blanket ban on homeopathic products would simply be unreasonable and disproportionate.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
In correspondence to the Department of Health of February and April 2015, Bindmans LLP asked the Government for a blanket ban on the National Health Service prescribing of homeopathic products. Bindmans LLP argued for this on the basis of the costs of these products to the NHS and that homeopathic products were borderline substances.
In its April 2015 reply to Bindmans LLP, a Government official replied to explain that homeopathic products were, in fact, legally defined as medicines and the cost of homeopathic products in NHS primary care was small and reducing. Given this, we considered Bindmans LLP justification for their proposed ban as legally unreasonable and disproportionate.
Asked by: David Tredinnick (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Government's policy is on enabling GPs to prescribe products which they consider appropriate for their patients rather than placing statutory restrictions on products open for prescription.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
A general practitioner (GP) is able to prescribe any product on the National Health Service they consider necessary for the treatment of their patient unless it is listed in Schedules 1 or 2 to the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004. The Government is committed to the use of evidence-based therapies for NHS patients.
Schedule 1, commonly referred to as the blacklist, lists a number of drugs, medicines and other substances which GPs cannot prescribe on the NHS, for example, Ribena and some sun tan lotions. Schedule 2, commonly referred to as the greylist, lists drugs, medicines and other substances which GPs can only prescribe in certain circumstances on the NHS, for example influenza treatments for ‘at risk’ groups.