[Margaret Pilkington]

I would imagine that the money spent on paracetamol is not just the folk taking scripts to the chemists...but much of that cost will be for the intravenous version of the drug...which is used extensively and successfully as IV post operative pain relief.

I cannot imagine anyone who pays for their meds to be daft enough to pay £8.20 for paracetamol.......at 16p a packet you could buy 51 packs for that amount......that is 102 days supply taken at the maximum dose.
The telegraph article makes it sound as though all this money is being spent for scripts handed over at local chemists.......but I think this may be a bit of journalistic licence.

Drugs which the NHS buys cheaply but get £8.20 a throw for subsidise the drugs which cost vastly more.

Hospitals are trying to minimise drug costs by getting patients to bring in and use their own meds from home.......this is something which I campaigned for when I was managing a ward......and lots of fake objections were put up as to why it could not be done.

As for ID cards......I do not want an ID card to prove I am entitled to my health care.
I have an NHS number that should be sufficient ID.