This makes perfect sense really. Like others have said it means docs can't script you huge amounts of OTC meds so that they're dirt cheap. This isn't usually done with NSAIDs which are cheap as fuck already, but other OTC meds which might otherwise cost let's say £10 a box, the GP can script ten boxes and you will pay the prescription charge (currently £9). So the NHS is covering the cost of OTC meds for you.
I might have to do some research to see if it's just your local CCG doing this or if it's nationwide orders from the top.
If it is national it spells good news for me. Why? Simply because it shows the priority of NICE and the NHS right now is to save the NHS money when it comes to choosing what meds to prescribe patients. This means a lot of good things for us.
First of all it means they're unlikely to try and ban OTC sales of co-codamol, Paramol, Nurofen Plus, even codeine linctus any time soon like other countries (Australia, France) have done in recent years, because if they did it'd mean more NHS resources going to providing those drugs which currently patients are happy to pay for themselves. It also means you can try walking into a pharmacy which may be reluctant to sell codeine linctus and if they tell you they only sell it with a prescription you can just say your GP told you it's available over-the-counter and the NHS is unwilling to prescribe OTC meds anymore and show this photo of the poster on your phone for proof.
Second it most certainly also means a push away from expensive patented drugs in favour of cheap generic drugs. You know those fancy new "anti-abuse" and time release meds like Targin (oxycodone/naloxone) and Elvanse/Vyvanse (lisdexamph)? They cost the NHS something like £100+ per box/bottle, keeping in mind that especially with the Targin a patient may very well require multiple boxes per month. The generic equivalents, which in this case would be generic oxycodone XR (many generics exist for this in the UK, main one is Longtec which is at least 20% cheaper than OxyContin and probably even cheaper than that for Targin) and dexamphetamine (only a few generics here but again, much cheaper than Elvanse) respectively, cost the NHS more like £20-50 per box.
So if your GP has been told to avoid prescribing expensive patented medication unless absolutely necessary, and they have a choice between the patented Targin and regular old generic Longtec, they may very well give you the generic to save the cash strapped NHS some coin. You in turn get a pill you can chew or crush up or one that is just good old instant release.
The NHS has also long been avoiding the prescription of Targin anyway due to lack of evidence it actually lives up to its claims of reducing constipation, which is the basis on which it was approved by NICE, yet it costs a fuckload. Elvanse scripts on the other hand have gone up, but if they are moving to cut costs they may be more willing to move patients to IR dex.
Oh and mods it may be better to move this thread to EADD because here it seems like it's just becoming a political debate about the NHS.