Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by James Frith (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 September 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Prescriptions: Regulation

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce medicine over prescribing.

Answer

The Department keeps overprescribing under careful review and works with NHS England and the wider health system to reduce inappropriate or unnecessary prescribing. This is done through a range of system-wide work, for example:

  • supporting personalised care and shared decision-making to help ensure medicines remain appropriate for a patient's clinical needs, circumstances and preferences;

  • encouraging regular medicines reviews to help identify and address inappropriate prescribing and problematic polypharmacy; and

  • promoting access to non-pharmacological interventions, including talking therapies and social prescribing, where these may be a more appropriate option than medicines.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
21812
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Prescriptions Regulation
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk