Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will consider introducing a national 24-hour helpline to support people affected by prescribed drug dependence.
The Government has no plans to introduce a national 24-hour helpline to support people affected by prescribed drug dependence. People who feel that they might be dependent on either prescribed or over the counter medicines should seek help from a health professional in the first instance (such as a general practitioner or pharmacist). Help and advice is also available from, for example, the 111 helpline or the on-line NHS Choices service.