In email exchanges last year between Keith Ridge and King’s Fund director of policy Richard Murray – obtained by a C+D reader, and seen by C+D – Dr Ridge appears to suggest that the length of prescribing intervals should be “picked up” in Mr Murray’s review into pharmacy services, despite “obvious concerns” from pharmacists that “increased prescription duration means less fees”.

It is not clear from the emails by how many days Dr Ridge would like to increase prescription duration.

The email exchanges, obtained under a freedom of information request, show the conversations between the two parties in the months leading up to the publishing of the 'Murray review', in December 2016.

In an email sent on October 25, 2016, Dr Ridge told Mr Murray that “on prescription duration, there is [a] high level [of] expectation you will pick this up [in the review]”.

Pharmacists "think it means more waste and less safety", added Dr Ridge, who admitted: "They have a point."

"So [the] question is: if it is done, how can it be done safely and effectively?" he wrote.

The resulting review of pharmacy services two months later – commissioned by Dr Ridge and led by Mr Murray – set out a number of recommendations, including a call to redesign medicines use reviews, which referred to "consideration of appropriate prescription duration to optimise outcomes and convenience for patients".

In the emails, Dr Ridge suggested it was “best” for him to introduce the topic into discussions, so that Mr Murray was not “tarnished”.

“Formally” removed from negotiations

It was not the first time Dr Ridge had referred to prescription duration. In the Department of Health’s (DH) December 2015 letter announcing the pharmacy funding cuts, Dr Ridge said: “We will also be looking at steps to encourage the optimisation of prescription duration, balancing clinical need, patient safety avoidance of medicine waste and greater convenience for patients.”

However, when the funding cuts were confirmed in October 2016, the DH stated it would “not be implementing any specific new measures with regards to prescription duration as part of this package”.

C+D has contacted NHS England for comment.