NHS England paid 7% more for mental health drugs this summer than it did in the preceding three months, the latest data release from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) shows.

But the number of patients recieving these medications on the NHS increased by just 0.4% during the same time period.

Between July and September 2024, NHS England spent £177 million in total on hypnotics and anxiolytics, antidepressants, medications for dementia, central nervous system (CNS) stimulants, ADHD medications and antipsychotics.

This was a 7% increase on - or over £12m more than - the £165 million spent on mental health drugs between April and June of this year.

Over the same time period, the total number of identified patients prescribed mental health medications on the NHS remained almost the same, increasing by just 0.4%.

 

And the total number of mental health medication items increased by 467,939 - from 31,601,986 in Q1 of 2024 to 32,069,925 in Q2.

The overall increase in spending reflects a rise in average cost per item across three of the five categories.

In particular, the cost to the NHS of CNS stimulants and ADHD medications increased from an average of 44.7p per item to 47.83p per item.

And the average cost of antipsychotics increased from 12.02p per item to 13.81p per item.

In August, the DHSC released a 'high impact' medicine supply notification for ADHD medication methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets, which were in short supply.

And in September, community pharmacies were able to claim £3.25 for a box of 30 methylphenidate 10mg tablets, and £73.62 for a box of 30 methylphenidate 54mg modified-release tablets, after the items were awarded a price concession in both August and September.