Hunt Asked: Why Does NHS Spend £50m On Homeopathy?

10 September 2015, 17:10 | Updated: 24 August 2016, 14:04

The Health Secretary was put on the spot live on LBC, after being asked why the NHS spends £50m on homeopathy.

A caller enquired why the NHS is turning down scientifically proven drugs, while spending money on homeopathic treatments.

Mr Hunt dismissed previous reports he was a fan of the controversial treatment, saying the rumours came from something he signed as a new MP without properly reading it.

And he insisted the amounts spent on homeopathy are "tiny".

He told Iain Dale: "We spend a tiny, tiny amount and there are some bits of the NHS where it's sanctioned by GPs, but it wouldn't be done without a doctor saying they thought that was the right thing to do.

"The basic principle we have is very simply that we follow what the scientific evidence says.

"When resources are tight, we have to follow the scientific evidence and spend the NHS's money on what works."