Alternative to Prescription Drugs
Posted by: Uticopa in mental health, addiction on May 05, 2011
The Get Well Scheme was an experimental scheme run out of two centres in Northern Ireland that enabled GP's to refer patients to complimentary therapists with the NHS picking up the tab. The aim was to show that not only can those who have come to rely on long term prescription drug use to manage their conditions reduce their dependency through these therapies, but that the scheme could even save the NHS money.
The use of prescription drugs to manage conditions can be costly and result in countless further medical risks such as addiction, reliance and side effects (however small the risk factor is). The Get Well Scheme looked into the use of such therapies as acupuncture, homoeopathy, chiropractic, aromatherapy and reflexology. The recent BBC One documentary (shown in Northern Ireland) charted the progress of the scheme and showed some very positive stories of success.
The scheme was attempting to prove that the NHS should be offering its patients access to these alternatives to prescription drugs for their better health and for the benefit of the NHS budget.
Our feelings on the subject are that it's about time! Finding or being offered the right therapy for your condition is essential. Getting the correct combination of person, condition and therapy can lead to a reduction or even elimination of their need for prescription drugs and ultimately a better standard of living.
This scheme has now finished and unfortunately this means that all those who had benefited from NHS funding for their therapies will now have to fend for themselves. We feel that schemes like this should be championed in other areas of the UK to prove that there are effective alternatives to prescription drugs. Eventually we hope that the Government will recognise the importance of non medication routes to a healthier life and offer them to the public at large as a fully-funded NHS option.
If you have any thoughts on this, or know of any other schemes where GPs are offering NHS funded complementary therapies, then please let us know here. If you would like to find out more about these therapies or need to find a professional therapist or counsellor you can find them on our site by clicking here.
