Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) NHS England and (b) his Department has considered introducing a national (i) prescribing indicator and (ii) thematic audit on (A) long-term and (B) high-potency topical corticosteroid use.

Neither NHS England nor the Department have considered introducing a national prescribing indicator and thematic audit on long-term and high-potency topical corticosteroid use.

Auditing of general practice (GP) prescribing data is usually undertaken by practice pharmacists or medicines optimisation teams locally. GPs, pharmacists, or a suitably qualified healthcare professional are expected to carry out a regular Structured Medication Review (SMR) of a patient’s medication. SMRs are an evidence-based and comprehensive review of a patient’s medication, taking into consideration all aspects of their health.