Achieving value and sustainability in prescribing medication: consultation

Closes 8 Sep 2024

Opened 11 Jul 2024

Overview

There is variation in prescribing of medications across NHS Scotland. This can include items that may have low or limited effectiveness, safety concerns, or provide low value for money for NHS Scotland where there are more cost-effective items available. This can also include instances of antibiotics being prescribed unnecessarily or for longer than the recommended duration, increasing antimicrobial resistance.

This guidance aims to promote the effective use of medicines and minimise unwarranted variation in prescribing practice across NHS Scotland. It supports the principles of Realistic Medicine through shared decision-making, encouraging medication review, and ensuring medicines are prescribed appropriately.

Read the consultation paper.  The consultation paper contains full background information for this consultation. You may find it useful to read or refer to while responding.

Useful information about responding to this consultation

As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.

Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.

On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.

After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.

A analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us. You can also join our consulation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).

 

Why your views matter

Your responses will be analysed and used as part of a decision-making process, along with a range of other available information and evidence.

The guidance will be updated using your feedback, and the latest evidence to ensure that our recommendations reflect what is best for NHS Scotland and individuals.

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