10 December 2014: New data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) revealed that nearly 50% of the population in England are taking prescription medicines.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society spokesman Neal Patel was interviewed by BBC Radio Five Live and BBC London radio about the topic. He said: “I think we’ve got to put [the figures] in context. We have got a big demographic change in society, a lot of us are living longer, which is a great thing, but unfortunately that does mean we will develop longer-term conditions that need treatment.
“Now, it’s important that each decision is a personal one, that a person talking to their prescriber actually has a conversation about their medicines that are potentially going to extend their life and make sure they stay healthy for longer, but also [they] understand that medicines do have side-effects as well, and that’s what pharmacists are spending a lot more time doing.”