THE COST of prescribed medicines in Yarmouth and Waveney is less than it was four years ago, even though more drugs are being prescribed.NHS Yarmouth and Waveney's board meeting heard last Wednesday that it has underspent its budget by £3.
THE COST of prescribed medicines in Yarmouth and Waveney is less than it was four years ago, even though more drugs are being prescribed.
NHS Yarmouth and Waveney's board meeting heard last Wednesday that it has underspent its budget by £3.6m since the beginning of April. Much of this is because of an underspend in prescribing, which is down £1.4m on the budget and predicted to be £3.4m for the full year. In the 12 months to June it spent £34m on medicines.
The board meeting was told: “The PCT is now spending less per year than it was in August 2004, despite a steady increase of 5-7pc in the number of items.”
Director of finance and performance David Matthews said the drop was because certain drugs have become cheaper as a result of Department of Health negotiations. But it is not all good news for NHS Yarmouth and Waveney, which is supposed to break even on its budget and may lose the money if it does not spend it.
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