The government should encourage manufacturers to sell its range of vitamin supplements direct to pharmacies, Nice has said.

The law should be amended to allow Healthy Start vitamins to be more widely sold and the Department of Health (DH) should negotiate with manufacturers to make it easier for pharmacies to obtain the supplements, Nice said in a consultation on vitamin D guidance.

The supplements, which include vitamins C, D and folic acid, are currently only available to pregnant women and mothers with children under four on benefits who receive NHS vouchers, which they can use to collect them free from selected shops and pharmacies.

Healthy Start supplements should be more widely available through pharmacies, says Nice	More on Nice The care home conundrum New is Nice Nice's approach to allergies is typically rash
	Local authorities should consider using minor ailments schemes or other local pharmacy arrangements to make vitamin D supplements widely available for all at-risk groups: these include children under five, older people, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with darker skin and those who have limited exposure to the sun, Nice said in its consultation, published last week (May 16).

Nice put forward 10 recommendations to reduce vitamin D deficiencies, which included a national awareness campaign by Public Health England, providing free supplements to at-risk groups free and co-ordinating with commissioners and health professionals to increase access to the supplements at a local level.

Nice urged health and social care professionals to recommend supplements to at-risk groups at "every available opportunity" and suggested that local authorities use "computerised prompts" to promote vitamin D use during GP appointments, flu vaccinations and diabetes checks.

Nice's consultation, which runs until June 24, comes a month after health minister Daniel Poulter announced that all community pharmacies in the UK could be allowed to sell Healthy Start supplements by the end of the year.

Find out more about vitamin D services: Tackling vitamin D deficiency

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