CENTRAL Cheshire Primary Care Trust squandered nearly £2m on prescriptions, according to a shock study.
The National Audit Office calculated what each of the country's 303 PCTs could have saved with more efficient spending on prescriptions.
And Central Cheshire PCT ranked 20th in Britain in the inefficiency league of shame for missed savings. The study was carried out between August 2005 and July 2006, before the Central and Eastern Cheshire PCTs merged to form a new body.
In those 12 months, Central Cheshire could have saved a reported £1,843,804 while Eastern Cheshire missed out on a possible £1,119,200 - meaning the combined body could have saved £2,963,004.
A Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT spokes-woman went on the defensive this week.
She said: 'The PCT has within the last year recorded savings in excess of £750,000 by working with GP practices to identify where savings can be made in prescription spending without compromising patient care.
'The Trust has members of its Medicines Management Team in every practice promoting the change to more cost effective prescribing, and will continue to monitor the change in prescribing.'
But Stephen O'Brien, shadow health minister and Eddisbury Conservative MP, said: 'These are very important findings and must be addressed to provide a cost effective service in the future.
'Past experience under GP fundholding shows that giving GPs control of NHS budgets is cost efficient. These figures are a consequence of Labour's abolition of that tool to avoid waste.
'We need to devolve financial power to GPs who should take decisions on where the money is spent. The vast majority of doctors have said they would welcome it and that it would also put patients' best interests first.'
Mr O'Brien blamed layers of beauracracy for the massive overspend.
'The PCTs set parameters and give doctors guidelines which they must follow. Their focus is on generic, non-branded drugs,' he added.
'A PCT might say, 'we've got to get heart disease down in the area', and so purchase a lot of statins-based drugs which are very expensive. But the PCTs themselves are only following the government's regulations.'
