Cost of NHS prescriptions set to rise to £9 on MONDAY – ‘putting millions of patients at risk’
Charities have warned people could be left unable to afford the drugs they rely on to manage long-term conditions
THE PRICE of potentially life-saving prescriptions is set to rise again on Monday, to £9.
The move could put millions of lives at risk, with people left unable to afford the drugs they rely on to manage long-term, and potentially fatal conditions, charities have warned.
Last year, the Government hiked prescriptions up from £8.60 to £8.80, and as of April 1, they're set to increase by a further 20p.
'Patients simply can't afford it'
A charity has warned that a third of people already struggle to pick up essential medication due to cost, and that if the price rises further, more people will be at risk.
"It is extremely disappointing that yet again, the Government plans to increase prescription charges," said Lloyd Tingley, at Parkinson's UK, and Chair of the Prescription Charges Coalition.
"Since 2010 the prescription charge has risen by 26 per cent compared to a rise in average earnings of 16 per cent over the same period.
In order to protect the most at risk, they've frozen the cost of prescription prepayment certificates for another year, while charges for wigs and fabric supports are set to be increased in line with inflation.
- Surgical bras will increase from £28.85 to £29.50
- Abdominal or spinal supports will increase from £43.60 to £44.55
- Stock-size modacrylic (ie, synthetic) wigs will increase from £71.25 to £72.80
- Partial human hair wigs will increase from £188.70 to £192.85
- Full bespoke human hair wigs will increase from £275.95 to £282
It'll be frozen at £29.10 for three months of £104 for a year.
Charges only apply to patients in England, while prescriptions continue to be free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
When NHS chiefs announced their move last year, they said that the rise was "in line with inflation".
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