Family doctors in Scotland say patient safety now 'at risk' as they battle to source supplies of vital prescription medicines

GPs in Scotland last night warned patient safety is at risk due to a chronic shortage of prescription medicines.

Medics said their ability to effectively treat people is being compromised and that the battle to source vital medicine has reached crisis point.

A survey of practitioners, including GPs, by the Medical and Dental Defence Union Scotland (MDDUS) found nine out of ten members said the ability to ‘practise medicine safely’ has now been ‘impacted’.

Forty-five per cent said they were "seeing patients whose overall health has deteriorated’ as a result of the ‘shortage of medicine".

The issue is affecting a range of conditions and includes drugs used to treat cystic fibrosis, diabetes and epilepsy, as well as hormone replacement therapy, opioid painkillers and medicines for heart conditions.

Manufacturing and logistical problems caused by Brexit, the conflict in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic have previously been cited as reasons for the supply problem.

One GP stated: ‘It is very demoralising working as hard as we can – and still being unable to meet patients’ needs due to constraints outside of our control. It makes workdays harder than necessary and mentally exhausting."

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Source: Daily Mail Online, 10 August 2024

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