Professor Michael Barry:

In response to Deputy Kelleher's point, there should be a reassurance that we do audit prescribing. Part of our remit is the ongoing monitoring of utilisation and expenditure across all the major groups. As an example, I highlighted the issue of the new oral anti-coagulants. I felt that was a safety and, indeed, a cost issue. We did monitor the GMS database and were able to examine this and see that there were dosing issues. There were also issues concerning poor prescribed medicines that may not be safe and may increase the bleeding risk. This time last year, this very month, I wrote to all practitioners throughout the country highlighting the issues. We went back to re-analyse the data later and I am glad to say there has been a huge change for the better in prescribing these medications.