NHS blows £2m by tripling spend on toiletries promoted by Jennifer Aniston
THE NHS has more than tripled its spending on shampoo and bodywash promoted by Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
GPs doled out £2million of Aveeno toiletries last year, despite a crackdown on prescribing such products.
It drove NHS spending on the products up from £595,000 four years earlier, a Sun investigation found. In total, doctors prescribed 237,135 shampoos, cleansing oils and body washes made by Aveeno, which is fronted by screen star Jennifer, 50.
It is more than three times the 73,341 handed out in 2014.
The products can help people with skin and hair conditions. James Roberts, from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Splashing taxpayers’ cash on off-the-shelf toiletries, which could be bought from the local supermarket, simply won’t wash.”
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NHS boss Simon Stevens has ordered a clampdown on prescribing such items which are deemed to be of “low clinical value”.
Furthermore, Aveeno products can often be bought in a supermarket for less than the NHS pays.
An NHS spokesperson insisted: “The NHS is one of the most efficient health services in the world.”
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