Changes to Medicines

Mid Essex CCG is responsible for managing the drugs budget spent by doctors in our area.  The Medicines Management Team may advise changes to medicines for many reasons, including:

  • New safety concerns
  • New evidence about the benefits of a drug
  • New treatment guidelines

It is also important that we make best use of the money we spend on medicines, without reducing the quality of the treatment patients receive. If more money is spent on medicines than is available, the extra money has to come from other areas of healthcare. This means that we may not be able to provide all the services we would like.

The Medicines Management Team continually check the cost of medicines to see if savings can be made. The team also helps GP practices to make such changes to patients’ medication when necessary.

Points to remember:

  • Money wasted means less is available for other services.
  • Making changes to your medicines does not mean that you are receiving a reduced quality service.
  • If you have a leaflet or a letter giving information about the changes to your medicines, read it carefully and keep it for reference.
  • Always follow the directions printed on the medicine label.
 

Medicine Shortages

There are sometimes medicine shortages. This is a national problem which has been discussed at Government level. In the event that we are unable to obtain your regular medication, your GP will try to find a suitable alternative. We would ask for your understanding on these occasions.