Prescription charges in England to rise to £9 per item from April

By Jane Kirby21st February 2019News EnglandMedication / Vaccines, News England, NHS, Prescriptions, Primary Care / GP's

The cost of a prescription in England is to rise to £9, the Government has announced.

The move will mean an extra 20 pence is added to the current price of £8.80 from April 1.

The cost of prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) will stay the same.

Lloyd Tingley, senior policy and campaigns adviser at Parkinson’s UK and chairman of the Prescription Charges Coalition, said: “It is extremely disappointing that yet again the Government plans to increase prescription charges.

“Since 2010, the prescription charge has risen by 26% compared to a rise in average earnings of 16% over the same period.

“Working-age people with long-term conditions simply can’t sustain this.”

He added: “We already know that one in three people with long-term conditions do not collect all their essential medication due to cost, which inevitably leads to ill-health.

“The planned price hike is a complete contradiction to the new NHS long-term plan to prevent exactly that.

“While it is positive that the cost of the pre-payment certificate has been frozen, this is still a large upfront cost for individuals and families who the Government should be helping – not punishing – for having a long-term condition.”

Sandra Gidley, chairwoman of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Board, said: “Every day pharmacists are asked by patients who are unable to afford all the items on their prescription which ones they could do without.

“In a civilised society, we should be making sure this doesn’t happen. No-one should be faced with a financial barrier to getting the medicines they need.

“Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would be much simpler to have free prescriptions in England too, because then no-one would have to worry about payment decisions affecting their health.”