In the wake of criticism over her intentions to allow people to get medication without consulting a doctor, Thérèse Coffey has revealed she unlawfully shared prescription antibiotics with friends and family.
The 50-year-old Health Secretary made the disclosure last month when discussing ways to lessen the load on GPs with civil workers.
Anyone who gives prescription antibiotics to someone for whom they are not meant is breaching the law, according to the most recent regulations established by the UK’s drugs regulator.
It comes as Ms. Coffey’s is presently debating whether to let pharmacists to dispense medications without a doctor’s permission.
Instead, as part of attempts to reduce GP waiting lines, pharmacists will be permitted to provide medications, including contraception, without a prescription under her “Plan for Patients,” according to The Times.
The medications will still not be sold over the counter, but a pharmacist may provide access if they believe a patient may have specific symptoms.
This was a private comment and personal experience at a discussion concerning antibiotics, a source told the newspaper.
She recognizes the significance of antibiotic resistance, would advise others not to exchange medications, and would refrain from doing so in the future.
However, Ms. Coffey has received harsh criticism from medical professionals and has been called “moronic” for her recommendations.
Professor Stephen Baker of Cambridge University, a specialist in molecular microbiology and antimicrobial resistance, said yesterday that overusing antibiotics would increase the likelihood of developing an illness that is resistant to treatment.
Common illnesses become deadlier as a consequence of ineffective treatment owing to bacterial resistance to routinely used antibiotics caused by overuse of antibiotics.
Additionally, crucial cancer operations and therapies might become too risky owing to the increased possibility of untreatable infections.
Out of 27,000 community pharmacists, only around 1,000 are now licensed to write certain prescriptions.
Former doctor-turned-comedian Adam Kay, author of the television version of his autobiographical bestseller This is Going to Hurt, jokingly said on Twitter: Ah well, antibiotics worked for over a century.
However, extrapolating from statistics from Scotland, the Department for Health and Social Care claims that pharmacists providing antibiotics for UTI infections may save 400,000 GP sessions annually and around £8.4 million.
Using current community pharmacy prescribers, NHS England will begin testing services with a prescription component at at least one “pathfinder” site within each regional integrated care board (ICB) from the beginning of the next year.
In the meanwhile, Professor Penny Ward of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, a specialist on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warned The Telegraph that the proposals would have the AMR community “up in arms en masse.”
According to her, a rise in antibiotic usage is to blame for the approximately 65,000 cases of drug-resistant illnesses that occur annually in the UK.
Prof. Ward said, “The Health Secretary really should take the time to familiarize herself with this challenging subject and evaluate the larger danger to human health that may result from widespread pharmacy use of medications that would encourage antimicrobi
‘The Secretary of State has studied a number of policy alternatives to reduce strain on GPs, including whether it is feasible to enable wider prescription by pharmacists, as occurs in many locations, including Scotland,’ a spokeswoman for the Health Secretary said.
The significance of anti-microbial resistance and social attitudes toward antibiotics were among the many topics covered in these extensive conversations, according to the report.
It occurs at the same time as Ms. Coffey is engaged in conflict with union leaders over her claim that the government would not provide more funding to avert the first-ever nationwide nursing walkout in the UK.
Dr. Coffey doubled down on her argument with yet another biting jab, asserting that No. 10 had ‘already’ assisted the populace in coping with the cost-of-living problem. In actuality, nurses have also been given £1,400, she continued.
Union leaders demand that nurses get pay increases of at least 5% over the current 12.3% inflation rate.
According to the government, the typical nurse makes around £35,600 a year, so this would provide them an additional £6,150. But paying the union’s demands will run taxpayers an additional £1 billion.
Naturally, if they want to do so, Ms. Coffey continued, “that is their decision.” “But then again, we also have a clear path for professionals to enter our nation.”