Hospitals across England are experiencing shortages of common drugs including paracetamol-based painkillers, aspirin and blood pressure medication, according to the Guardian.
Key facts
- Hospitals in England are being hit by shortages of key drugs used for pain relief, preventing blood clots and treating high blood pressure.
- Dozens of NHS trusts have encountered scarcities of aspirin, co-codamol and ramipril.
- Co-codamol is a combination of paracetamol and codeine.
- NHS trusts reported disruption to supplies of co-codamol and ramipril last winter.
Hospitals in England are being affected by shortages of key drugs used to provide pain relief, prevent blood clots and treat high blood pressure, according to the Guardian.
The newspaper reports that dozens of NHS trusts in England have encountered scarcities of aspirin, the painkiller co-codamol, and ramipril, a blood pressure tablet.
Co-codamol is a combination of paracetamol and codeine, making it one of the common pain-relief medicines affected by the disruption.
According to the Guardian, NHS trusts also reported disruption to supplies of co-codamol and the blood pressure medication ramipril last winter.
The shortages span medicines that are widely used across hospital settings, covering pain relief, clot prevention and the management of high blood pressure.
Why it matters
The medicines affected are among the most commonly used in hospitals, meaning shortages could disrupt routine care for large numbers of patients. Supply problems reported across dozens of NHS trusts point to a wider strain on medicine availability heading into winter.
Frequently asked questions
Which drugs are affected by the shortages?
According to the Guardian, NHS trusts have encountered shortages of aspirin, the painkiller co-codamol and ramipril, a blood pressure tablet.
What is co-codamol?
Co-codamol is a combination of paracetamol and codeine, used as a painkiller.
Have these shortages happened before?
The Guardian reports that NHS trusts also experienced disruption to supplies of co-codamol and ramipril last winter.