Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for medication or medical appliances are currently in place owing to a national or worldwide supply shortage; for which medications treating which conditions are these SSPs in place; and what steps they are taking to support affected patients, in particular, those patients facing a shortage of prescribed medication to help manage their ADHD symptoms.

There are currently three Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) in place. These are for Estradot 100microgram hormone replacement therapy patches for treatment of the menopause, clarithromycin antibiotic 125mg/5ml oral suspension and clarithromycin antibiotic 250mg/5ml oral suspension for the treatment of a variety of infections including chest infections and other respiratory infections.

A team within the Department deals specifically with medicine supply problems arising both in the community and in hospitals. It has well-established procedures to deal with medicine shortages and works closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England and others operating in the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when shortages do arise.

We are aware of supply issues affecting medicines used in the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We have issued communications, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert to the National Health Service, to advise healthcare professionals on the management of patients during this time. We continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom. Supply disruptions affecting various ADHD products are resolving and we anticipate the supply of the remaining medications to resolve between now and December 2023.

Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.