§ Mr. Kevin HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific initiatives her Department has taken to find alternatives to treatment with benzodiazepines in accordance with paragraph C21 of "The Health of the Nation"; and how self-help groups are being supported and encouraged to help reduce benzodiazepine dependency.
§ Dr. MawhinneySince 1982 there has been a steady reduction in the number of benzodiazepine prescriptions from 24.5 million to 15.7 million in 1991. Many services for people who wish to withdraw from tranquillisers are provided by locally-based self-help groups. The Government have funded the National Association of Mental Health (MIND), which runs self help groups throughout Great Britain for tranquilliser dependence, to compile a national directory of tranquilliser services.
§ Mr. Kevin HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to ensure that, through the medical audit process, patients being treated with benzodiazepines for the first time are being prescribed these drugs for a maximum of two weeks.
§ Dr. MawhinneyDetailed advice on the prescribing of benzodiazepines by the committee on the safety of medicines is given in the British National Formulary which is issued free to all doctors.
General practitioners, in conjunction with the medical audit advisory groups (MAAGs) which have been set up by family health service authorities, are being encouraged to address the issue of medical audit in regard to many aspects relating to their work, of which prescribing is one. The particular areas of prescribing to be identified are best left to individual MAAGs who can tailor medical audit to meet particular local needs or areas of concern.