§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will include in his final arrangements for National Health Service limited list prescribing, a procedure whereby a general practitioner may prescribe under the National Health Service medicines which are not on the proposed limited list in any case where the doctor has good grounds to believe that his patient's clinical needs cannot be met from the approved list.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo. This will not be necessary, as we intend to produce a list of drugs prescribab re on the National Health Service which will meet all clinical needs.
§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) why no provision was made for suitable antacids to be available for National Health Service prescription during pregnancy under his proposed draft limited list;
(2) why no provision was made for suitable laxatives to be available for National Health Service prescription during pregnancy under his draft proposed limited list;
(3) why no provision was made for multi-vitamin preparations to be available for use in treatment of premature infants on National Health Service prescription in his draft proposed limited list;
(4) why no provision was made for codeine phosphate to be available for National Health Service prescription in cases of head injury under his provisional proposals for a limited list;
(5) why no provision was included for antitussive cough medicine suitable for prescription to diabetics to be available under his draft proposed National Health Service limited list;
(6) why no provision has been made for long-acting mild analgesics to be available for National Health Service prescription under his draft limited list proposals.
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§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe are considering all these matters very carefully during our consultation with the medical and pharmaceutical professions and the drugs industry. We will take the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and a panel he has assembled of distinguished doctors and pharmacists on the medical issues concerned. We intend to produce a limited list which will cover all clinical needs.
§ Mr. Craigenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the drugs which dentists may currently prescribe on the National Health Service but which he proposes after 1 April should cease to be available on National Health Service prescription; if he will explain the reasons for this proposal; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe are presently consulting on the content of the limited list. Until this consultation is complete it will not be possible to list the medicines presently prescribable by dentists which will no longer be available under the National Health Service. Our stated intention is to ensure that within the categories of drugs to be included in the limited list there will be an adequate range of effective drugs, sufficient to meet all clinical needs.