Hello everyone, NHS drug prices look set to rise after reports that Sir Keir Starmer may be preparing to give in to Donald Trump's demands for higher payments to pharmaceutical companies. The US president, with his threats of punitive tariffs on imported drugs, has injected a degree of urgency into Britain's national conversation about what it can afford to pay for life-saving medicines – and that's a good thing, writes columnist James Moore. He says: "This is now being taken very seriously by the prime minister, who seemingly wants more than anything to claim the friendship of the man in the White House." I have taken a closer look at a recent analysis from the Nuffield Trust, which explains why the government should stand firm. You can read it here. Meanwhile, concerns about rising costs of the weight-loss jab Mounjaro for private patients have been making headlines. Author Sam Baker has explored how the global obsession with these new treatments is shaping attitudes towards weight loss – and not always positively. Amid the debate over NHS spending, it's important to remember the real-world effects of budget cuts. This week, I reported that leaders in Cheshire and Merseyside have decided to stop funding gluten-free prescriptions for children and adults. For those in the most deprived households, food banks were suggested as a mitigation – a decision that has sparked controversy. More on all of this below. See you next week… |
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| Well Enough by Emilie Lavinia | Monday |
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As I watched the video playback of an NHS meeting in Cheshire and Merseyside, where officials were discussing the decision to cut gluten-free food prescriptions, one quote stood out to me: "You are taking food out of children's mouths... This area has some of the poorest areas in the country. You're handing a statutory duty [back] to charity, back to Victorian values. You're a bunch of Marie Antoinettes, you all should be ashamed of yourselves." This came from a woman, a member of the public, observing the meeting in which local NHS leaders had suggested that food banks and food pantries could be a mitigation. But there are so many issues with suggesting that food banks are a solution to this problem. |
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Clinicians warn of 'shocking levels of ignorance' over 'cruel and risky' decision to cut gluten-free prescriptions |
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First, coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition. People need to maintain a gluten-free diet or risk a whole host of serious health consequences. Second, food banks are an emergency provision; they're not a replacement for healthcare or social care. The decision also seems to underestimate the extent to which poverty can impact health. In one eye-opening comment about food poverty, a doctor said they had seen a child with diabetes come into the clinic who had to use their emergency medication for hypoglycaemia at dinner because their family had no food. This is a damning indictment of how much more needs to be done to address inequality and poverty in the UK. |
If you have any examples like the above, or if you're an NHS staff member who has witnessed this, please reach out in confidence at rebecca.thomas@independent.co.uk and help us highlight this important issue. |
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| Should the NHS provide gluten-free food on prescription for people with coeliac disease? |
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Living with coeliac disease is far from straightforward – something Independent readers have already made clear in their reaction to the story I have discussed in-depth above. Many shared the daily struggles of managing the condition, stressing that a gluten-free diet is not a lifestyle choice but a medical necessity. MellieC wrote: "GF food is considerably more expensive but, fortunately, we can afford it. It's easy to see that a family with limited funds would find it unaffordable." Meanwhile, last week's announcement that all GP practices in England must keep their online booking systems open throughout the day also drew a mixed response from readers. ppundit commented: "This initiative, if mismanaged, could potentially cause a backlog of requests, but if GPs take turns, and work from home to address the requests, it could even be a popular option for a working day." See the full poll results and read more from readers here. |
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