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MP INVESTIGATES RISE IN ANTIDEPRESSANT PRESCRIBING
Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson has expressed concern at the increase in the number of prescriptions being issued to treat depression.
Mr Robertson tabled a Parliamentary Question to ask how many people were being treated for depression. That information is not collected centrally but the Health Minister, Simon Burns, provided Mr Robertson with the numbers of prescription items dispensed.
In 2006-7, a total of 31.3 million items of antidepressants were dispensed in England but this rose to 39.7 million in 2009-10, an increase of 27%. In Gloucestershire, a total of 370,900 were issued in 2006-7 rising to 481,900 in 2009-10, an increase of 30%.
"I have been concerned for a while about the increase in the use of antidepressant tablets and the number of people being prescribed them" says Mr Robertson.
"Although these figures don't tell us how many people are being treated in this way for depression, the increase in the number of prescription items is worrying. I will be looking into why this increase has taken place.
"I don't know if the prescribing policy has changed or if there are more people suffering from depression but I think this needs finding out. The scale of increase over just a four year period has to be of concern.
"I am holding a meeting with the local health chiefs next week in London and this is one of the issues I will raise. I will also seek to raise the matter further with the government."
Gloucestershire MPs campaign for better deal for
electrical apprentices
Gloucestershire MPs Laurence Robertson, Richard Graham and Martin Horwood have teamed up to press for a better deal for companies in the area who offer electrical apprenticeships.
Staverton-based electrical contractor Clarkson Evans raised the issue with the MPs and asked for help to get improvements to the rules on government funding for apprentices.
The company’s main complaint is not with the amount of funding but the way it is allocated:
“The funding system is based on the previous year’s contract, not current need,” said Clarkson Evans training centre manager Lindsey Young “so for example if we cut our apprentice places in one year because of recession, our allocation of funds when demand increases again is based on recession not recovery.”
In the last 10 years, Clarkson Evans has trained more than 400 electrical apprentices in the county, investing more than £2 million of its own money on top of the grants it receives from the Skills Funding Agency.
“At a time when the government wants to grow the economy by creating real jobs, and when we have places to offer, it is madness to reduce the number of willing apprentices we can take on because of a set of rules that don’t reflect current needs” said Mrs Young. “It’s particularly frustrating that there’s no flexibility to use funding allocated for 16-18 year olds to train older apprentices. Under-18s are often prohibited from construction sites so we can’t employ them, and this leaves us facing a constant battle for 19+ funding”.
The MPs have written to the minister Vince Cable at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking for a meeting to help to break the logjam.
“It is vital for local jobs that we can provide the skills and training Gloucestershire’s young people need to start their careers” said Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson. “The rules seem to be getting in the way of common sense, and we will be raising this issue with the Skills Funding Agency.”
Gloucestershire-based Clarkson Evans is one of the UK’s leading electrical training specialists, providing courses for around 1,500 people each year, ranging from apprentices to experienced electricians updating their skills. The group also looks after the electrical installation work for more than 7,000 new homes each year, working with most of the leading UK housebuilders.