§ Dr. Glynasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will take steps to ensure that the actual cost of drugs, medicines and surgical appliances are made known to patients under the National Health Service.
§ Sir George YoungIf adopted, the suggestion could cause concern to some patients because of the apparent high cost of their treatment if costly drugs are prescribed; equally, if low-cost items are prescribed then some patients might feel460W they were receiving inferior treatment. Additionally, there would be difficulties for pharmacists in calculating the cost of prescribed quantities and keeping abreast of ever-changing prices.
Doctors have been asked to consider relative cost where they judge that alternative forms of treatment are likely to be equally effective, and they are regularly provided with information to enable them to make a choice in such circumstances.
The current estimated average cost of a prescription item is £2.71.