Over the counter medicines

Your GP, nurse or pharmacist will not generally give you a prescription for certain medicines that are available to buy in a pharmacy or supermarket, even if you qualify for free prescriptions.  Please use this link for further information.

Items not prescribed on the NHS

In 2019 NHS England issued guidance on a number of medicinal products which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care. These include:

  • Products of low clinical effectiveness, where there is a lack of robust evidence of clinical effectiveness or there are significant safety concerns;
  • Products which are clinically effective but where more cost-effective products are available, including some products that have been subject to excessive price inflation; and
  • Products which are clinically effective but due to the nature of the product are deemed a low priority for NHS funding.

The national guidance is available here.

The ICB had adopted this guidance and developed patient information leaflets for each category.