EXCLUSIVE Alert over HUGE rise in dangerous opioid painkillers use - doctors have dished out £1 BILLION-worth and blame NHS surgery delays READ MORE: Truth about lethal 'pink cocaine' flooding US and UK By Shaun Wooller Health Editor For The Daily Mail Published: 15:23 BST, 25 October 2024 | Updated: 15:32 BST, 25 October 2024 e-mail View comments NHS spending on addictive opioid painkillers has doubled since the pandemic, new analysis shows. Doctors have dished out almost £1billion-worth of the drugs over five years, with experts blaming agonising waits for surgery. The health service doled out £90.

1million of the drugs in 2019, rising to £186.2million last year and a projected £189million this year. It means spending is on target to hit £1billion early next year, according to the figures collected by Oxford University 's OpenPrescribing.

net. It comes as waiting lists for routine NHS care, such as hip and knee replacements, continue to rise, hitting 7.64million as of the end of August.

NHS spending on addictive opioid painkillers has doubled since the pandemic, new analysis shows The Royal College of Surgeons has warned that hundreds of thousands of patients are 'continuing to live in pain on waiting lists'. Many are reliant on powerful drugs to get by, leaving them at risk of developing an addiction that continues even after their operation. A recent study showed that longer waiting times caused by covid lockdowns caused a 40 per cent increase in prescriptions for hig.