AQW 24786/22-27


Mr Patsy McGlone
Social Democratic and Labour Party
Mid Ulster


Tabled Date: 21/03/2025
Answered On Date: 07/04/2025
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the total expenditure on medicines in (i) primary care; and (ii) secondary care, in each of the last ten years.


Answer:
Primary care medicines expenditure includes the cost of medicines in primary care services namely, GP's, Pharmacists, Dentists and Optometrists, however this will primarily represent the reimbursement of prescribed medicines issued by Community Pharmacies.
Secondary care medicines expenditure is the cost of medicines reported by the six Health and Social Care Trusts.
The total expenditure on medicines in primary care and secondary care in each of the last ten years is set out in the table below.
 
Primary Care
£m
Secondary Care
£
2014/15
425.8
166.9
2015/16
441.1
167.2
2016/17
439.5
183.8
2017/18
436.3
192.3
2018/19
421.3
211.6
2019/20
444.1
224.4
2020/21
454.3
231.2
2021/22
456.2
285.1
2022/23
486.9
296.8
2023/24
501.3
326.2
Notes:
Secondary Care: may include a small element relating medicines issued outside an acute care setting, e.g. GP Out of Hours, which cannot be identified separately.
The values in the above table exclude any cost of medicines where treatment is delivered outside of NI, as the cost of medicines is not separately defined within this expenditure.
Expenditure excludes VAT.