NHS eyedrops consultation - important

[littlemermaid]

Healthwatch England:

'The NHS wants to know which drugs and treatments you think should be made available on prescription.

The consultation, which started in the summer, will see Clinical Commissioning Groups, which advise local GPs and other services, recommending what should and shouldn’t be prescribed.

The consultation is focusing on medicines deemed to be a low priority for NHS funding, and could see items currently available on prescription no longer offered in this way.

3,200 items are being reviewed, including products such as sunscreen, laxatives, eye drops and eczema cream. In the future, people may have to buy such things over the counter.

The outcomes of this consultation could have a big impact on people who rely on items being made available on prescription. Have your say

We’ve created a short survey for you to complete to let us know what you think. We will pass on your responses to NHS England to inform the consultation. You have until Saturday 21 October to complete it.'

Complete the survey

[CharlieGreenEyes]

The fourth paragraph speaks volumes to me... "...medicines deemed to be a low priority for NHS funding...". The fact that they include eyedrops explains to me why it's been such a wearing battle to obtain any kind of effective help for my severe Dry Eye issues. Experiences seem to be mixed but certainly my own have strongly indicated that dry eye full-stop is a low priority for the NHS - not just prescription of eyedrops, but any kind of treatment - or even a proper consultation and examination in the first place (It was only after seeing a second private opthalmologist that I got a proper examination and diagnosis - and by then my corneas were damaged).