Patients are being sent back to their doctors due to shortages of medicine.

Stephen McGonigle, a pharmacist who works in Weymouth and Portland, says he has been forced to send patients back to their doctors for a new prescription due to shortages of drugs.

It comes after there has been a big rise in the number of drugs on a ‘shortage of supply’ list in England.

It was revealed that there are 80 medicines in such short supply that the Department of Health and Social Care has agreed to pay a premium for them, according to data analysed by the BBC.

The figure is up from 45 in October. When there is a shortage of drugs, pharmacists are faced with an ‘ethical dilemma,’ Mr McGonigle says.

Every month the DrugTariff is published by the NHS Prescription Services on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

It is used by pharmacists as a reference for the payment and repayment of NHS prescription costs.

However, when drugs are in short supply their market price increases, meaning pharmacists have to pay more for them.

They can then only sell them for prices outlined by the Drug Tariff, which means they can make a loss.

Mr McGonigle said: “There is an ethical dilemma.We must make the care of our patients our first concern.

“At the same time pharmacy contractors are businesses with a fiduciary responsibility towards their shareholders.”

He added: “It means patients are inconvenienced. They either have to go back to their doctors to get an alternative drug prescription or run around the different pharmacies in the hope that they have stock.

“Some people have been on certain drugs for several years, they are reluctant to change, especially elderly people, and it’s not always easy to book doctor appointments which can take two to three weeks.”

Mr McGonigle says some of the drugs in short supply included Naproxen and Candesartan, used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.

Reasons for the shortages may include increased global demand, cost of raw materials, new regulatory requirements driving up costs and fluctuations in exchange rates.

Another explanation is that the NHS has driven down the prices it will pay for drugs, which makes the UK less attractive to manufacturers.

A spokesman for The Department of Health and Social Care says there is no evidence of current medicine supply issues linked to Brexit preparations.

Discussing the short supply of medicine, he said: “The Department has well-established processes to manage and mitigate the small number of supply problems that may arise at any one time due to manufacturing or distribution issues and this has always been the case.

“We continue to work closely with industry and partners to ensure patients receive the medicines they need and pharmacies are reimbursed fairly.

“The vast majority of medicines are not subject to supply problems and every day over two million prescription items are successfully dispensed in England.”

A spokesman for The Department of Health and Social Care says there is no evidence of current medicine supply issues linked to Brexit preparations.

Discussing the short supply of medicine, he said: “The Department has well-established processes to manage and mitigate the small number of supply problems that may arise at any one time due to manufacturing or distribution issues and this has always been the case.

“We continue to work closely with industry and partners to ensure patients receive the medicines they need and pharmacies are reimbursed fairly.

“The vast majority of medicines are not subject to supply problems and every day over two million prescription items are successfully dispensed in England.”