Key facts
- Dozens of NHS trusts in England are facing shortages of common drugs like aspirin, co-codamol, and ramipril.
- Aspirin shortages were reported by 62% of trusts that responded about the drug.
- Co-codamol shortages were reported by 31% of trusts.
- Ramipril shortages were reported by 16% of trusts.
- One trust, Kent community health NHS trust, ran short of all three medications.
- Most trusts (92%) lacked contingency plans for drug supply issues.
Hospitals across England are grappling with shortages of essential medications, including aspirin, co-codamol, and ramipril, impacting pain relief, blood clot prevention, and blood pressure management. Freedom of information requests by Dr Rodolfo Catena, an expert in global health supplies at University College London, revealed that 60 out of 184 NHS trusts surveyed encountered scarcities. Aspirin shortages were the most widespread, affecting 62% of responding trusts, followed by co-codamol (31%) and ramipril (16%). One trust, Kent community health NHS trust, reported running short of all three medications.
Pharmacists have described the situation as a "national crisis," with patients sometimes unable to access their usual medications for weeks. The shortages are attributed to factors including trade disputes, global conflict, and manufacturing issues, highlighting the vulnerability of the health service's supply chains for basic medicines. Catena's findings suggest that NHS England's classification of drug scarcities as a "medium" operational risk may be insufficient, given the widespread nature of the problem.
In response, the Department of Health and Social Care stated it is working with suppliers to resolve issues with ramipril, co-codamol, and aspirin, and has issued serious shortage protocols for ramipril. A spokesperson for the Society for Acute Medicine emphasized the need for resilient supply chains and timely communication to prevent delays in patient care. Catena has called for NHS trusts to be obliged to report impending shortages, similar to drug companies, to improve awareness and mitigation efforts. Almost all trusts surveyed reported having no contingency plans, and a significant majority had not reported their scarcities to NHS England.