[1] These lists were decided by clinical commissioning groups in England, but rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Research by the Medical Technology Group reported in 2019 showed that many clinical commissioning groups were restricting access to basic elective surgeries and treatments in various ways, including imposing body mass index thresholds for hip and knee replacements, or visual acuity limits for cataract surgery.
[5] Warrington withdrew their advertisement after an outcry, but in July 2019 it was reported that other trusts with private patient units were still offering these procedures for people who would pay.
[9] Following a threat of legal action by the Good Thinking Society campaign group in 2015, the British government stated that the Department of Health would hold a consultation in 2016 regarding whether homeopathic treatments should be added to the Schedule 1 list.
National Voices said, "The risk is that the NHS would be saying that it will not support poor people to treat their kids' head lice, or to manage complications such as persistent constipation or the vulnerability of their skin to damaging sunlight.
"[16] The final recommendations covering 35 minor, short-term conditions were approved in March 2018, with an exemption for patients where the clinician believes they will struggle to self-manage because of medical, mental health problems or 'significant social vulnerability'.
As this does not change the regulations that govern GP prescribing, it is still open to GPs to treat patients according to their individual circumstances and needs, including issuing prescriptions where there are reasons why self-care is inappropriate.
[18] In April 2019 the All Wales Prescribing Advisory Group rejected the proposals for limiting the prescription of over-the-counter drugs.