FOI – 2026-3293 Co-codamol Supply

Date received – 02/03/26 | Date responded – 26/03/26

Request

Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, I request the following information held by NHS National Services Scotland relating to the procurement and stock management of co-codamol 30mg/500mg tablets.

For the period 1 January 2026 to the date of this request, please provide:

1. Any formal supply risk assessments, briefing papers, or reports prepared by National Procurement regarding the availability of co-codamol 30/500mg.

2. Any formal correspondence between NHS National Services Scotland and contracted suppliers relating specifically to international supply disruption affecting co-codamol 30/500mg.

3. Minutes or formal notes of meetings where mitigation strategies for this shortage were discussed.

Response

We have now completed the search of our records and can provide you with the following information:

1. Any formal supply risk assessments, briefing papers, or reports prepared by National Procurement regarding the availability of co-codamol 30/500mg.

Under Section 17 of The Freedom of Information Scotland Act, 2002 (FOISA) an organisation does not have to provide that information if it does not hold it. NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) National Procurement (NP) has not developed any formal risk assessments, briefing papers or reports in the period 01 January 2026 to date.

Please note: The UK Government holds overall responsibility for regulating the supply of medicines. At a national level, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Medicines Supply Team coordinates the management of medicine shortages across the UK.

2. Any formal correspondence between NHS National Services Scotland and contracted suppliers relating specifically to international supply disruption affecting co-codamol 30/500mg.

Please find attached Appendices 1 - 3, which contain correspondence with contracted suppliers regarding the national shortage of co‑codamol within your requested date range.

In line with FOISA, we have applied appropriate redactions to these documents. Personal data including supplier staff names, email addresses, and other identifying information has been withheld under Section 38(1)(b) – Personal Information, as disclosure would contravene the data protection principles and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Please note: NP leads on sourcing medicines for Scottish Hospitals. NP’s remit does not include sourcing medicines for community pharmacies.

3. Minutes or formal notes of meetings where mitigation strategies for this shortage were discussed.

Please find attached Appendices 4 - 7, which consist of redacted action notes from national meetings, chaired by the DHSC medicine supply team.

These actions have been shortened and redacted to provide only the information relevant to your request and to protect personal data. Personal information has been withheld under Section 38(1)(b) – Personal Information, as disclosure would contravene the data protection principles and the GDPR.

Also, under section 33(1)(b) of the FOISA, NSS has also determined that some of this information requested is exempt. This exemption applies where disclosure of the information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person or organisation, including public authorities. In this case, releasing the information could:

• Undermine the competitive position of the organisation concerned.
• Reveal commercially sensitive strategies, pricing, or operational details.
• Harm ongoing or future negotiations or contracts.

We recognise that there is a public interest in transparency and accountability. However, on balance, we consider that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosure, due to the potential for substantial harm to commercial interests.

I trust you will find the information of assistance and if you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of how we have dealt with your request, you can make representations to us asking us to review the handling of your request.

If you require any further information, please contact the Associate Director Governance and Board Services (Board Secretary) within 40 working days of the date of this correspondence.

Contact

Address

If after a review you are still unhappy, you also have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner, who can be contacted at Kinburn Castle, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS, or via their application form.

National Services Scotland (NSS) is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. You can view all FOI responses within our FOI Publications repository.