NHS trusts report shortages of widely used pain and blood pressure medicines

Hospitals across England have reported shortages of commonly used medicines, including aspirin, co-codamol and the blood pressure treatment ramipril, prompting concerns about the resilience of NHS supply chains.

The findings came from freedom of information requests sent to 184 NHS trusts by Dr Rodolfo Catena, an associate professor specialising in global health supply chains at University College London. Only 60 trusts responded, so the results do not provide a complete national picture. However, they show disruption affecting medicines routinely used for pain relief, blood clot prevention and high blood pressure.

Of the 42 trusts that provided information about aspirin, 26 reported supply disruption between December 2025 and March 2026. Thirteen trusts experienced shortages of co-codamol, which contains paracetamol and codeine, while seven reported difficulty obtaining sufficient supplies of ramipril.

Some shortages continued for months. York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust reported disruption to co-codamol supplies from May 2025, while The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust experienced problems obtaining the medicine for 10 months. Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust reported shortages involving all three drugs.

The research also raised questions about how the NHS prepares for and monitors shortages. Among the trusts that responded, 92% said they had no contingency plan for medicine supply problems, while 82% had not reported the disruption to NHS England. Dr Catena has called for trusts to be required to report shortages so national bodies can assess the scale of the problem and coordinate action.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was aware that ramipril remained in limited supply and had issued serious shortage protocols to support continued access. It said officials were also working with suppliers to address problems involving aspirin and co-codamol, while stressing that most licensed medicines remained readily available.

Medicine shortages can increase pressure on hospital pharmacists and clinicians, who may need to source alternative supplies or review prescriptions. Patients who cannot obtain their usual medication should speak to their pharmacist or prescribing clinician and should not reduce their dose or stop treatment without professional advice.

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