News

RPS President addresses new HRT appointment

Following reports of shortages of HRT medicines, the Secretary of State for Health Sajid Javid is set to appoint a tsar to tackle shortages.

Commenting on the Secretary of State for Health’s intention to appoint a champion to look at the shortage of HRT medicines, RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: “We welcome this proposed appointment to support greater access to hormone replacement therapy.

“Difficulties in accessing HRT unfairly impacts women, affects their mental health and worsens health inequalities. – this is an area that not only impacts our patients but also the health and care workforce.

“I look forward to working with this new champion for HRT and the Government on how we can better support women’s health, building on the positive move to reduce prescription charges for HRT for women. But the Government should now go further and end unfair prescription charges for patients in England altogether.

“With continued concerns from patient groups about medicines supply for people with other conditions, this appointment must be part of a wider Government strategy to ensure patient access to medicines.

“Pharmacists spend many hours dealing with medicines shortages when we’d rather be talking to patients about their care. One solution would be to enable pharmacists to make minor changes to a prescription when something is out of stock. This is faster for patients and more efficient for the NHS.”

Read an update on HRT supply from the British Menopause Society.

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