The NHS handed out 404,500 prescriptions for suncream at a cost of £13million in 2014 and 4.7million prescriptions for indigestion pills costing£29million , damning analysis has found ( file image ) The NHS is spending millions on prescriptions for suncream and toothpaste , a damning analysis has found . Some patients are even being given hangover tablets and Yakult yogurt drinks . Critics said it was ‘ ludicrous ’ that such items were being handed out when the NHS was rationing routine treatments . It has prompted concern that patients are abusing the system by demanding prescriptions for household essentials which are cheaply available at their local chemist . The figures came on the day that Britain was ranked only 27th in the world for health and wellness – below Slovenia , Spain and Portugal – and 111th out of 133 countries for obesity . In 2014 , the NHS handed out 404,500 prescriptions for suncream at a cost of £13million . Another 4.7million prescriptions for indigestion pills cost £29million , while 1.4million were written out for multi-vitamins , at £4.2million . Other bathroom cabinet items routinely being prescribed by GPs include Calpol , Vaseline , Strepsils and toothpaste , according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre . Roger Goss of Patient Concern said : ‘ This is ludicrous . Every week we hear of patients being denied another cancer treatment or refused cataracts while others are being prescribed toothpaste . Whoever is prescribing this or authorising it must have completely lost their mind. ’ Doctors admit that some patients abuse the system and arrive at surgeries with shopping lists of toiletries and remedies . But their contract states they must prescribe any medication they think is ‘ necessary ’ , meaning patients can claim that most remedies are needed even if they are cheaply available from a chemist . The NHS is facing a huge black hole in its finances , with chief executive Simon Stevens predicting that by 2020/21 , there will be a gap of at least £8billion in its annual budget . Only last month it stopped providing funding for 19 life-extending cancer treatments because there was not enough money to pay for all the patients who needed them . The NHS has also been forced to ration many routine treatments which are considered to be non-urgent , such as hip and knee replacements and cataract operations . Dr Anita Sharma , a senior GP in Oldham , Greater Manchester , said patients come into her surgery every week wanting prescriptions for head lice shampoo , which can be bought for £5 from the chemist . ‘ We need to take a different approach to prescribing , ’ she said . ‘ Primary care must focus on ensuring the use of the right medicine , for the right patient and at the right dose . ‘ This does not mean a script for every ill. We certainly can not afford to waste NHS money [ on what ] can be bought over the counter. ’ Jonathan Isaby , of the TaxPayers ’ Alliance , said : ‘ The vast majority of hard-pressed families have to pay for their own everyday essentials , and taxpayers will be furious if others are gaming the system . 'We must tighten up the rules on these giveaways and give GPs more flexibility , ensuring that only those who really need them receive them. ’ Critics have branded the prescriptions for regular bathroom cabinet items such as Vaseline , Calpol , suncream , toothpaste and multi-vitamins as 'ludicrous ' at time of financial crisis for the NHS ( file picture ) The Mail analysed figures from the HSCIC ’ s prescription cost analysis , an audit of all drugs handed out on the NHS by GPs , nurses and pharmacists . In England , most patients are charged a fee of £8.20 for each prescription . But certain groups can get them for free , including the under-16s , the over-60s , pregnant women or new mothers and adults on benefits . Some patients eligible for free prescriptions have been swapping tips on how to get them for Calpol and Gaviscon on the MoneySavingExpert and Mumsnet websites . And in 2012 , a GP from Glasgow , Scotland , described how patients were coming into his surgery with ‘ shopping lists ’ of items including nappy rash cream and moisturisers . Dr Richard Vautrey , of the British Medical Association ’ s GPs committee , said : ‘ GPs have a duty to prescribe where there is clinical need . ‘ What we don ’ t want to see is anyone abusing the system . The whole prescribing system needs to be looked at. ’ The figures revealed that 1.1billion prescriptions were written in 2014 – more than 2,000 a minute and a rise of 3 per cent compared to the previous year . A spokesman for NHS England said : ‘ GPs are responsible for only issuing appropriate prescriptions to their patients , and these figures underline the importance of ensuring that ’ s what happens everywhere . ’
NHS gave out 404,500 prescriptions for suncream at a cost of £13m in the previous year . Also handed out 4.7million prescriptions for indigestion pills costing £29m . Other items routinely prescribed include vitamins , Vaseline and toothpaste . Critics branded prescriptions 'ludicrous ' at time of financial crisis for NHS .