Commentary: Achieving savings will not be straightforward
BMJ 2010; 341 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c7161 (Published 17 December 2010) Cite this as: BMJ 2010;341:c7161- David Phizackerley, deputy editor
- 1Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin, London WC1H 9JR, UK
- dphizackerley{at}bmjgroup.com
Medicines represent one of the largest non-salary areas of NHS expenditure and have been under close scrutiny for many years. In 1994 “inappropriate spending” on medicines prescribed by general practitioners was estimated to cost around £300m (€360m; $470m) a year, and 13 years later a National Audit Office report found “over £200 million of potential efficiency savings” by looking at just 19% of the primary care drugs bill.1 2 Financial efficiency of prescribing in secondary care has been questioned in a national review.3 As a result the past 20 years has seen the evolution of management systems and support processes across primary and secondary care to improve efficiency; these include …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.