Scotland’s struggling NHS is spending £8.53 per pack of paracetamol under the SNP’s “absurd” free prescription policy, a new analysis has disclosed.
Data from the government agency Public Health Scotland (PHS) show nearly 2.5 million prescriptions for paracetamol were issued in 2023-24.
The cost to the taxpayer for the common painkiller was more than £14 million, with the “dispensing fee” for the prescriptions estimated to add nearly £7 million to the bill.
This meant that the total cost to the Scottish NHS of handing out free paracetamol was more than £21 million, the analysis found, the equivalent of £8.53 per prescription.
Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Tory MSP who collated the PHS figures, said that the cost to the NHS was “beyond absurd” when a pack of paracetamol costs about 37p in a supermarket.
The analysis also found that a prescription of ibuprofen cost the Scottish NHS £6.87 last year, compared with about 39p on the high street.
SNP ministers introduced “free” prescriptions in 2011, with the net cost to the public purse reaching £1.5 billion in 2022-23.
Paracetamol is one of the most popular drugs dispensed to patients each year.
But Scotland’s NHS is battling with record waiting lists, and a recent report by the impartial Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that it was continuing to worsen, while hospitals in England were improving “substantially”.
Waiting lists for planned operations and long delays for cancer treatment, A&E and diagnostic tests “are all still rising in Scotland”, the think tank found.
‘Insult to common sense’
A separate review by Audit Scotland warned that “difficult decisions” may be needed about whether some NHS services can continue, with major reform “urgently needed” to cope with growing demand.
Mr Kerr said: “The SNP Scottish Government’s ideological fixation on so-called ‘free’ prescriptions for everyone is an insult to common sense and responsible governance.
“Every year, Scottish taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for 3.5 million prescriptions for basic painkillers – wasting 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.
“This is a glaring example of the SNP’s reckless mismanagement and bloated bureaucracy, where wasteful spending takes precedence over front-line patient care. This isn’t just inefficiency – it’s outright negligence.”
He argued that “common sense should prevail”, with the majority of people buying their own paracetamol and the savings being used on “life-saving operations, quicker cancer diagnoses, and better front-line services”.
The PHS figures showed that 2,472,463 prescriptions for paracetamol were issued last year at a cost of nearly £14.2 million, equating to £5.72 per prescription. The average dispensing fee was £2.81, taking the total cost to £8.53.
A further 439,531 prescriptions were issued for ibuprofen at a cost of nearly £1.8 million, or £4.06 for each. When the same dispensing fee was added, this brought the cost to £6.87 per prescription.
‘Barrier to good health’
Free prescriptions are restricted in England for those under 16, under 18 and in full-time education or over the age of 60. Pregnant women and those in receipt of some benefits are also eligible.
However, the majority of working-age people south of the border have to pay £9.90 per item. NHS England has cracked down on the “routine” prescribing of “over-the-counter” products such as paracetamol for short-term conditions.
It has argued that many such drugs can be purchased far more cheaply from pharmacies and supermarkets than the cost paid by the NHS.
But Jenni Minto, the SNP’s public health minister, said: “Prescription charges are a barrier to good health and the Scottish Government will continue to protect free prescriptions.”
She added: “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.
“We know that most people prescribed paracetamol receive it to manage chronic pain. Alternative treatments can be more expensive and have the potential to cause more harm through an increased risk of side effects.”
NHS England was approached for comment.
