NHS prescriptions price will rise AGAIN by 15p to £9.15 from April


NHS prescriptions price will rise AGAIN by 15p to £9.15 from April in hike which campaigners say ‘penalises those with long term conditions’

  • Patients in England will, from April 1, have to pay extra 15p to collect medicines 
  • The price was also raised last April, when it rose from £8.80 to the current £9 
  • The cost of prescription wigs, bras and spinal supports will all raise 

The cost of an NHS prescription will rise to £9.15 this year, the Government has announced.

Patients in England will have to pay an extra 15p to collect their medicines from a pharmacy from April 1.

This increase in cost is ‘in line with inflation’, according to the Department of Health and Social Care, led by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. 

The move was branded ‘disappointing’ after the price was also raised by 20p a year ago for the third year running, from £8.80 to the current £9.

Charities fear those with long-standing conditions, such as Parkinson’s, will struggle to afford the cost of their medication. 

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock. This increase in cost is ‘in line with inflation’, according to his department 

Charges for prescription wigs, bras, spinal and fabric supports will also be increased in line with inflation, they said. 

Bras – worn after surgery – will now cost £30.05, abdominal or spinal supports will rise to £45.35, synthetic wigs will increase to £74.15, partial human hair wigs will increase to £196.40 and full bespoke human hair wigs will rise to £287.20. 

What will be affected? 

Prescription charges

Single charge: £9.15

3-month pre-payment certificates (PPC): £29.65

12-month PPC: £105.90

Wigs and fabric supports

Surgical brassiere: £30.05

Abdominal or spinal support: £45.35

Stock modacrylic wig: £74.15

Partial human hair wig: £196.40

Full bespoke human hair wig: £287.20

As prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the prices will only affect those in England. 

The cost of prescription pre-payment certificates (PPC) will also rise. The three-month PPC will increase by 55p to £29.65, while the 12-month PPC will increase by £1.90 to £105.90.

The price hike penalises those with long term conditions, charity Parkinson’s UK.

Laura Cockram, head of policy and campaigns at Parkinson’s UK and chair of the Prescription Charges Coalition, said: ‘It is incredibly disappointing that yet again, people with long-term conditions are being penalised by an outdated prescription charges system.

‘This approach cannot be allowed to continue. The Government must urgently review the exemption list, so people with long-term conditions like Parkinson’s, asthma and MS, are no longer penalised for having the “wrong condition”.

‘By continuing to drive up the cost of prescriptions, the Government is ignoring clear evidence that the charge is a false economy that leaves people unable to afford vital medication which places increased pressure on the NHS.

‘The exemption list is so outdated that some conditions like HIV didn’t even exist when it was created. It is nonsensical that the Government continues to plough ahead with annual increases without even reviewing the list. 

A spokesperson told MailOnline in a statement today that exemptions in the price hike means that prescriptions are still affordable for the most vulnerable. 

They said: ‘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.

‘Nearly ninety per cent of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in community pharmacies in England and existing exemptions will continue covering children, pregnant women, and those over 60, on a low income or with medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy and diabetes.’

The Department of Health and Social Care said last year that the cost had been added as part of a 2015 plan to make £22billion in savings and provide £10billion investment for the NHS by 2021. 

Simon Dukes, Chief Executive of Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, said the move ‘ultimately adds to the NHS bill’.

He said: ‘Prescription charges represent a Government tax which community pharmacy teams have to collect: as health professionals, we would like to see their time being better spent on the provision of advice and clinical services to NHS patients. 

‘Pharmacies report that many people already find it difficult to pay the prescription charge. 

‘Whilst we recognise the financial pressures that the NHS is under, raising the prescription tax once again runs the risk of those most in need not getting their medicines – ultimately adding to the NHS bill elsewhere.’

HOW DOES THE NHS CUT DOWN ON PRESCRIPTIONS? 

In May 2018 the NHS stopped offering ‘over-the-counter’ remedies for routine ailments on prescription, in a bid to save the health service money.

Treatments for the following conditions are no longer routinely prescribed:

  • Acute sore throat
  • Infrequent cold sores of the lip
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Coughs and colds and nasal congestion
  • Cradle Cap (seborrhoeic dermatitis – infants)
  • Haemorrhoids
  • Infant colic
  • Mild cystitis
  • Mild irritant dermatitis
  • Dandruff
  • Diarrhoea (adults)
  • Dry eyes/sore (tired) eyes
  • Earwax
  • Excessive sweating (Hyperhidrosis)
  • Head lice
  • Indigestion and heartburn
  • Infrequent constipation
  • Infrequent migraine
  • Insect bites and sting
  • Mild acne
  • Mild dry skin
  • Sunburn
  • Sun protection
  • Mild to moderate hay fever/seasonal rhinitis
  • Minor burns and scalds
  • Minor conditions associated with pain, discomfort and/fever. (e.g. aches and sprains, headache, period pain, back pain)
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Nappy rash
  • Oral thrush
  • Prevention of dental caries
  • Ringworm/athletes foot
  • Teething/mild toothache
  • Threadworms
  • Travel sickness
  • Warts and verrucas