New analysis reveals that NHS spending on addictive opioid painkillers has doubled since the pandemic, largely due to prolonged waits for surgeries.

Over the past five years, nearly £1 billion has been spent on these drugs, with annual spending rising from £90.1 million in 2019 to £186.2 million last year, and an estimated £189 million this year. Based on current trends, total spending is expected to exceed £1 billion early next year, according to data from Oxford University.

Surgery Delays Fuel Painkiller Dependence

This dramatic rise in opioid prescriptions coincides with mounting NHS waiting lists for procedures such as hip and knee replacements, which reached 7.64 million as of August. The Royal College of Surgeons warns that lengthy waits are leaving hundreds of thousands of patients in persistent pain—many of whom turn to powerful painkillers that carry the risk of long-term addiction.

A recent study found that pandemic-related surgical delays led to a 40% surge in opioid prescriptions. Research from Bristol University reveals that one in three people using prescription painkillers exhibits signs of dependency.

Growing Concern Over Long-Term Use and Addiction

Public awareness of opioid dangers has grown, partly thanks to the Emmy-winning drama Dopesick, which highlighted the devastating impact of OxyContin and the broader U.S. opioid crisis. Drugs such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and tramadol can provide effective short-term pain relief, but their extended use poses serious risks, according to a Daily Mail report.

Professor Patrice Forget of Aberdeen University, a leading researcher in opioid use, stresses the need for better pain management strategies. “We have to review the way they are prescribed by supporting people better when in pain, but not by extending prescriptions, because that doesn’t work,” he said. “It’s not unreasonable after surgery to use opioids like tramadol carefully, with a target—say to walk the dog—for a short period of time. But it is not good for a long period while you are waiting for surgery or after surgery.”

He adds that post-pandemic opioid use continues to rise by 5–10% each year. “It is very significant, and we cannot say that this problem is contained or mitigated. It is clearly continuing to increase.”

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