Public attitudes to the provision of medicines for the NHS in Scotland
Following a request from the Patient and Public Involvement Group (PAPIG) of the Scottish Medicines Consortium, we held a series of discussion groups to engage with members of the public about the work of the Scottish Medicines Consortium and public attitudes to the provision of medicines in the NHS in Scotland.
The purpose of these discussion groups was to:
- explain the role of the Scottish Medicines Consortium in relation to access to medicines within the NHS in Scotland
- explain how patient and public opinion is brought into consideration in discussions and decisions about medicines and medicine use within the Scottish Medicines Consortium, and
- learn from participants about their understanding of and expectations for the provision of medicines in the NHS in Scotland.
A total of 94 people participated in 10 discussion groups which took place across Scotland between November 2013 and June 2014.
Impact
Feedback from the focus groups was shared with the Patient and Public Involvement Group of the Scottish Medicines Consortium for their consideration, and to inform their future workplan. The Scottish Medicines Consortium has produced information about how patients and carers can get involved in making decisions about new medicines in Scotland.