Christmas is traditionally a time of excess – too much spending, over eating, drinking one too many or several late nights in a row.
On Christmas Day the average Briton will consumer 6,000 calories. A Christmas dinner main course is only around 1,000 calories, but all the extra nibbles, puddings and booze tip the scales. The average household ends up spending £174 on food and drink for Christmas day.
The NHS are keeping a keen eye on the costs and looking at ways to cut costs as well as promote healthier living. NHS England are considering issuing guidance to GPs about a ban on gluten free pizzas, cakes and biscuits in a move that could save almost £70 million a year.
Instead GPs will only be able to prescribe gluten free staples such as bread and flour mix. However many people living with coeliac disease complain that gluten free foods cost double or triple the price of non gluten free products.
NHS England has already ordered an end to the routine prescribing of 18 low value items such as homeopathy and products that are available over the counter, often at lower cost, to treat 35 minor conditions such as paracetamol and cough mixture.
The initiatives could free up more than £200 million a year for reinvestment in frontline care.
NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, said: “The NHS is one of the most efficient health services in the world but, as part of the long term plan for the NHS, we’re determined to make taxpayers’ money go further and drive savings back into frontline care.
“It is essential the NHS should not be paying for anything which has been proven to be ineffective or where there are safer or cheaper alternatives.”
The Department of Health is consulting on other items that could be stopped being funded including Blood glucose testing strips for type 2 diabetes, needles for pre-filled and reusable insulin pens and Minocycline a drug used to treat acne.
The consultation will run until February 28, 2019, after which joint commissioning guidance is expected to be published by NHS England and NHS Clinical Commissioners.
To take part in the consultation go to www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/items-routinely-prescribed-update
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Nicola Strudley, works two days a week as the manager for Healthwatch Wokingham Borough. Opinions expressed in this blog are her own
