NHS prescription charges go up AGAIN leaving people ‘at risk of not affording vital treatment’
NHS prescription charges have gone up again leaving vulnerable people at risk of being unable to afford medicine.
Prescription items are currently £9.15, which is set to go up to £9.35 in England from April 1.
It comes after the price was increased by 15p last year, and 20p in both 2019 and 2018.
The cost was £7.40 ten years ago, in 2011.
From April 1, the price of a three-month prescription will become £30.25 (an increase of 60p) and a 12-month prescription will be £108.10 (an increase of £2.20), according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
Pharmacy bodies have long called for England to scrap the prescription charge.
Amendments to the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations were laid before Parliament on Tuesday, according to the legislation website page.
Announcing the increase, PSNC Chief Executive Simon Dukes said: “The prescription charge increase is our yearly reminder that the Government mandates community pharmacy teams to be not only clinicians but also tax collectors.
"After the year that pharmacy teams have all experienced, the continued use of front-line healthcare staff for this purpose is unwelcome and inappropriate."
It comes after bodies including PSNC and the British Medical Association (BMA) called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to temporarily remove the charge during the pandemic in April last year.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “Nearly 90 per cent of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in community pharmacies in England and existing exemptions are in place covering children, pregnant women, and those over 60, on a low income or with medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy and diabetes.
“Patients with long-term conditions or on a low income can apply for a range of prescription charge exemptions or additional support through the NHS Low Income scheme.
“Patients can also buy prepayment certificates to cover all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.”