THE NHS may balk at paying for expensive drugs for the chronically ill but there is enough money for patients to get a dog on prescription.

At least one health authority has adopted a scheme that allows the long-term sick to buy a dog in the hope that it will keep them out of hospital.

The idea is that a hound provides an incentive for people to take exercise and staves off depression, saving money in the long term.

Under the scheme, GPs in Lewisham, southeast London, will give patients who are regularly hospitalised grants of up to £1,000 to spend on pets, pet food and veterinary bills.

Gill Galliano, director of neighbourhood development for Lewisham Primary Care Trust, said: “Each patient has been allocated a budget which can be spent on items which will improve their wellbeing so they do not require unplanned hospital stays. Purchasing a pet is one option.”

For more than 20 years dogs have made therapeutic visits to patients in hospitals, hospices and nursing homes in Britain. The charity Pets as Therapy has 3,500 friendly dogs and

90 cats making visits. Patients young and old take pleasure in talking to the animals and stroking them.

“Caring for a pet can help patients to recover faster,” said Galliano. “They feel less isolated and undertake increased activity.

“This has a direct impact on their physical and mental health. The benefit for the NHS is that the patients are able to take care of themselves and do not have to visit hospital so frequently.”

The £1,000 grants would be held and managed by patients’ case workers.

The initiative has not been universally welcomed at a time when medicines are being rationed and patients endure long waits for treatment.

Simon Williams, director of policy at the Patients Association, said: “I welcome innovation within the NHS but I would need some convincing that this is a prudent way to look after the budget. I am sure the NHS could put this money to better use.”

However, a large body of evidence shows that owning a pet improves health. A study carried out at the University of Pennsylvania found that heart attack patients with a pet were more likely to survive.

One theory is that stroking a pet reduces stress, indirectly lowering blood pressure. Dirt carried by pets is also believed to boost the immune system.

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