Prescriptions in Kent among the country’s highest cost

Kent’s residents are among the sickest in the country, a new survey suggests.

The county rates as the tenth highest for the amount spent on prescriptions, based on official figures.

On average, local people cost their integrated care board (ICB) £181 per person in medication charges covered by the NHS.

Latest figures show 34,051,653 prescriptions were made out in Kent at a cost of £352,886,725.

Based on a population of more than 1.9million people, it averages at £181 per patient.

Top of the sick list is Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which has far fewer prescriptions (20,560,730) but at a high cost (£333,380,057) to its 1.004m inhabitants (£332 each).

The study, carried out by NHSDiscountOffers.co.uk, analysed the NHS Business Services Authority’s data on prescription costs and compared it to the coinciding population of each ICB.

The statistics cover the 2022-23 period and looked at the records of 42 ICBs.

NHS Discount Offers spokesman Steve Bater said: “The data highlights the substantial investment in prescription costs across various NHS regions, while the national figure gives a perspective into the total amounts that the state makes available to do so.

“Nine out of 10 ICBs with the highest spending per person on the list are also in the top 20 areas with the highest demand for medication per person.

“This suggests that areas that invest the most in prescriptions often have to do so because of the higher prescription volumes or due to the higher cost of the medicines they are investing in, potentially indicating a greater prevalence of chronic conditions or more comprehensive healthcare coverage in these regions.

“The figures reflect the NHS’s commitment to ensuring access to necessary medications for communities, supporting public health and its people, and providing an enhanced level of well-being for individuals throughout England.”

South-east London rates the lowest in terms of spending her head at just £106. More than 24m items were prescribed at a cost of £216m for a population of just over 2m.

In March, Kent County Council’s Health Reform and Public Health cabinet committee considered a report detailing the risks facing the county showing a stark difference in life expectancy between poor and well-to-do areas.

The Full Risk Register states: “The average life expectancy in the most deprived areas in Kent is 76 years for men and 80 years for women, compared to 83 years and 86 years respectively in the most affluent areas.

“These inequalities will lead to rising health and social care costs for the council and its partners amongst those groups least able to support themselves financially.”

The report states the link between unhealthy lifestyles and early deaths.

It says: “These areas have high rates of premature mortality (deaths occurring under the age of 75 years) due to causes such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and alcohol-related disease and cancer; causes that are strongly linked to unhealthy behaviours such as poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking and excessive alcohol.

“The risk is that while health is improving in general, these communities’ health would not improve at the same rate as less deprived communities.”

ICBs are organisations responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population.