Last chance to get cheaper NHS prescriptions as price hike hits tomorrow

MILLIONS of people in England will have to pay more from their prescriptions from tomorrow.

As of April 1, prescription charges are set to rise in line with inflation.

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People in England will have to pay more from their prescriptions from April 1.[/caption]

Prescription charges were frozen at £9.35 per item last April to help Brits cope with the cost of living crisis.

But the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) now plans to apply an inflationary rate of 3.21 per cent – bringing prescription charges to £9.65.

The cost of prescription pre-payment certificates (PPCs) will also be increased: 3-month PPC increases by £1 to £31.25 and 12-month PPC increases by £3.50 to £111.60.

And the recently introduced hormone replacement therapy PPC will cost £19.30.

England is the only country in the UK that still charges for prescription meds.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland scrapped the charges more than a decade ago.

But plenty of people in England can still pick up their prescription meds free of charge – as long as they are part of certain eligible groups.

The Government recently scrapped plans to lift the qualifying age for free prescriptions from 60 to 65 – after the proposal sparked anger and fears that many wouldn’t be able to afford their medicines.

Campaigners have also warned this price hike puts millions of people’s health at risk who can’t afford to pay more for their drugs.

Many people are exempt from prescription charges, namely over 60s, under 16s and those with certain health condition.

However, several long-term health conditions are not included on the exemption list, including people with asthma, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s and Colitis, motor neurone disease, cystic fibrosis, stroke and Parkinson’s.

The Department of Health estimates that about 15million people in England have at least one long-term condition.

“We know the price rise will result in sick people relying more on NHS services that are already at breaking point,” Laura Cockram, chair of the campaign group Prescription Charges Coalition, explained.

The cost-of-living crisis has meant people are already having to choose between vital prescriptions and things such as eating, The Sun previously reported.

In some cases, people are returning unused medicines to pharmacies in a bid to get refunds so they can scrape by.

Laura added: “The prescription charge exemption list needs urgent reform.

“It is not meeting the needs of people with long term conditions, and is putting their health at risk which we fear will intensify as the charges increase.”