DUDLEY CCG wants residents’ views after it has proposed to stop prescribing medicines for short-term, minor conditions and ailments.

‘Self-managing’ medicines including painkillers, hay fever tablets, wart and verruca creams, cough and cold remedies, antihistamines and some skin products, will only be offered for long-term and chronic conditions.

The borough's health chiefs say they spend about £2 million per year of funds on widely available, over the counter medicines, while GPs spend an average of £5,000 every day seeing patients who have minor ailments that could be treated with remedies which patients could buy from a pharmacy, supermarket or shop.

Dudley residents are being asked to give their views on the proposed changes as part of the CCG’s consultation, which runs until April 26.

Julie Jasper, of Dudley CCG, said: “There are public meetings, online surveys and booklets available in your GP practice.

“You can also check our website to keep up to date with the number of ways to share your views.”

For more information about the prescription consultation, visit www.dudleyccg.nhs.uk/pharmacyconsult, or take part in an online survey at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/prescriptionssurvey

Questions about the consultation can also be emailed to contact@dudleyccg.nhs.uk, or on twitter @DudleyCCG using the hashtag #prescribingconsultation.