NHS Scotland’s 'free' paracetamol costs taxpayers £8.53 per pack

A staggering £27 million of taxpayers’ money wasted every year on free prescriptions for paracetamol and other painkillers - analysis reveals

Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr has slammed the SNP government for making taxpayers cover the cost of 'free' prescriptions for basic painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen on the NHS.

An analysis conducted by Kerr, first reported in The Telegraph, revealed that the NHS Scotland pays as much as £8.53 per pack of paracetamol under its free prescription policy.

Public Health Scotland data shows that nearly 2.5 million prescriptions for the common painkiller were issued in 2023-24, costing more than £14 million.

Including an estimated £7 million to cover the pharmacy “dispensing fee”, the total cost equates to £8.53 per prescription.

In contrast, paracetamol can be purchased for as little as 37p in supermarkets.

Similarly, Kerr’s analysis found that ibuprofen—available over the counter for just 39p—cost the NHS £6.87 per prescription.

Kerr condemned the costs as “beyond absurd,” accusing the SNP of financial mismanagement.

“The SNP Scottish government’s ideological fixation on so-called ‘free’ prescriptions for everyone is an insult to common sense and responsible governance,” Kerr said, as quoted by The Times.

According to Kerr, every year Scottish taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for 3.5 million prescriptions for basic painkillers, resulting in a waste of a staggering £27 million.

“It is beyond absurd that NHS Scotland is paying £8.50 for paracetamol and nearly £7 for ibuprofen when these medications can be bought in supermarkets for mere pennies,” he stated.

Kerr described the situation as “a glaring example of the SNP’s reckless mismanagement and bloated bureaucracy,” where wasteful spending supersedes frontline patient care.

“This isn’t just inefficiency — it’s outright negligence,” he added.

Scotland’s free prescription policy, introduced by SNP ministers in 2011, is estimated to cost the government £1.5 billion in 2022-23.

As part of efforts to cut costs, Caroline Lamb, chief executive of NHS Scotland, wrote to all health boards last summer, urging them to review spending on medicines of “low or limited clinical value.”

She warned of a spending gap of up to £600 million for the current financial year, adding: “This is simply not an acceptable level and risks not only the [health] portfolio failing to balance the financial position, but the wider Scottish government.”

However, Scottish public health minister Jenni Minto defended the policy, arguing that “the prescribing of items such as paracetamol cannot be directly compared with medicines bought in retail outlets due to the limited quantity that can be purchased for the treatment of self-limiting illness or conditions.”

She explained that most people prescribed paracetamol use it to manage chronic pain, and that alternative treatments can be more expensive and may cause more harm through an increased risk of side effects.

Minto affirmed that the Scottish government would continue to protect the free prescription policy.

In England, nine out of 10 prescriptions are free of charge. Prescriptions are also free in Northern Ireland and Wales.

Dangers of taking paracetamol 

Health experts have issued a warning to the public after a study found that regular use of paracetamol could increase the risk of certain life-threatening diseases in some individuals.

A 2022 study revealed that paracetamol raises blood pressure, a key risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

The research showed that just two weeks of paracetamol use can increase blood pressure in people with hypertension (high blood pressure).

Researchers suggest that this rise in blood pressure could elevate the risk of heart disease or stroke by about 20 per cent.

They recommend that patients with long-term prescriptions for the painkiller should be given the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible duration.

Professor James Dear, chair of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, highlighted that doctors and patients should together consider ‘the risks versus the benefits’ particularly for those at risk of cardiovascular issues.

However, people who use paracetamol occasionally “shouldn't worry”, said lead investigator Dr Iain MacIntyre, consultant in clinical pharmacology and nephrology at NHS Lothian.