NHS prescriptions will cost YOU more as price set to rise to £8.60 in April
NHS prescriptions in England will rise 20p to £8.60 per item from April 1, the Government announced today.
NHS prescriptions in England will rise 20p to £8.60
England remains the only part of the UK to levy the charge which has been scrapped in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Government says only about 10 per cent of prescriptions are paid for as children, over-60s, pregnant women, new mothers, the poor and people with conditions such as cancer, epilepsy and diabetes are exempt.
This is a specific English tax on medicines
But pharmacy specialist Mark Robinson of the New NHS Alliance of primary care professionals said: "This is a specific English tax on medicines."
Drugs were often cheaper than the charge, while the cost had caused some people to forego their medicines.
The hike also came at a time when the Government was paying community pharmacists less for their core services, he noted.
England is the only part of the UK to levy the charge
Top doctor tells LBC free NHS treatments will cease to exist
The Government says only 10 per cent of prescriptions are paid for
Morgan Vine, of Parkinson's UK and the Prescription Charges Coalition seeking free drugs for chronic illness, said: "This rise will come as a blow to people with long term conditions, who already have to deal with additional living costs and rely on regular medication to manage their condition."
The cost of pre-payment certificates which can save people money if they need more than three items in three months or more than 12 in a year is being frozen at £29.10 and £104.
NHS dental charges are also rising
But Ms Vine said they were still unaffordable for many and were not the answer for people with fluctuating conditions who could not predict if pre-paying would save them money.
NHS dental charges are also rising under a two-year deal announced last year.