Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received representations on patient anxieties about access to medicines including for epilepsy and depression; and what plans the Government has for communication on the availability of such medicines.

Medicines shortages are an ongoing issue that the Department manages constantly. The Department receives a wide range of representations regarding the availability of medicines on a regular basis.

The Department’s Medicines Supply Team has well established procedures to deal with medicine shortages and works closely with all stakeholders to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when they do arise.

Every shortage is different. The decision to communicate, and type of communication, will depend on a number of factors. We work closely with all stakeholders in these situations to provide advice on management options and to consider how best to communicate a supply problem to those affected. Where necessary, we will engage with relevant patient groups regarding specific medicine shortages, including, for example, several epilepsy patient groups.