Scottish GPs warned last night that patient safety is at risk due to chronic shortages of prescription drugs.
Doctors said their ability to effectively treat people is being compromised and the battle to secure vital drugs has reached a critical point.
A survey of professionals, including GPs, by the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) found that nine in ten members said their ability to “practice medicine safely” has now been “impacted”.
Nearly half, 45 percent, said they were “caring for patients whose overall health has deteriorated” as a result of “drug shortages.”
Many medications have been difficult to obtain in recent weeks.
The problem affects a range of conditions and includes drugs used to treat cystic fibrosis, diabetes and epilepsy, as well as hormone replacement therapy, opioid painkillers and medications for heart conditions.
Manufacturing and logistical problems caused by Brexit, the conflict in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic have previously been cited as reasons for the supply problem.
One GP said: ‘It is very demoralising to work as hard as we can and still not be able to meet the needs of patients due to constraints beyond our control. This makes working days harder than they need to be and mentally exhausting.’
A second GP said: “Clinical decisions are now being influenced by this lack of medicines, leading to a greater sense of worry.”
Another doctor said: ‘It’s very frustrating and I see that instead of getting better, it’s getting worse. Sometimes you feel like giving up.’
MDDUS, which has more than 65,000 members in the UK, said it carried out the survey because of the level of anecdotal evidence coming from members unable to access medicines.
The survey data relates to healthcare professionals in Scotland and shows that a fifth were “severely” affected by the shortage. One in eight said they were considering leaving their job, potentially exacerbating existing staffing problems in Scotland’s NHS.
In June we told how some patients were forced to travel miles to get vital medicines.
The Mail on Sunday has launched a campaign to end the nightmare of shortages and is calling on the UK and Scottish governments to take action to tackle the problem.
These include implementing changes that would give pharmacists more power to make substitutions when medicines are out of stock, forcing manufacturers to give advance notice of known shortages or face fines, and allowing all NHS patients to access hospital pharmacies to obtain crucial medicines.
Problematic drugs include a shortage of Creon, a vital supplement that people with cystic fibrosis must take or risk intestinal pain, dramatic weight loss, infections and serious illness.
A Severe Shortage Protocol (SSP) has also been implemented for the antibiotic clarithromycin and the cardiac drug isosorbide mononitrate.
Dr John Holden, MDDUS medical director, said: “We regularly hear from doctors about the enormous pressures they face every day in the NHS, but the crisis around medicines shortages is making things even worse.
‘It is not uncommon for GPs to contact us when they feel they are stretched to the limit of their ability to cope with these pressures. Our survey shows that this current shortage is leading to a significant number of GPs questioning whether they want to continue in their role at a time when the NHS needs to retain as many doctors as possible to cope with demand.
“It is also disturbing to see how many GPs are suffering professional and personal moral distress because they feel they are failing their patients by not being able to access the medicines they know are necessary.”
Scottish Conservative deputy health spokeswoman Tess White said: “These findings are deeply worrying and the shortages will undoubtedly cause significant stress to affected patients.”
“Given the pressures that GPs also continue to face, this will increase their sense of burnout in trying to support patients.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are working with all relevant stakeholders to try to manage these issues and offer advice to healthcare professionals on suitable alternatives.
“We are also continuing to work with the UK Government as the supply of medicines is a confidential matter.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘We have inherited ongoing global supply issues which continue to impact the availability of medicines.
“We know how distressing this can be for patients, and we are working closely with industry, the NHS, devolved governments and others in the supply chain to mitigate the risk to patients and ensure alternative products are available until their usual treatments are back in stock.”
