Health news

Prescription charges rise to £7.40 in England

4th March 2011 - Prescription charges are going up to £7.40 in England in April, a rise of 20p per item.

The announcement comes in the same week Scotland’s MSPs voted to scrap prescription charges  - which has already happened in Wales and Northern Ireland.

For people in England needing more than 14 prescriptions a year, pre-payment certificates can save money. The cost of some of those is also rising though - to £29.10 for a three month certificate.  However, the annual certificates remain at £104.

Dental charges

It will also cost more at the dentist’s surgery. One course of basic treatment will go up by 50p to £17.  The more complex ‘band 2’ courses of treatment will increase by £1.40 to £47 and ‘band 3’ by £6 to £204.

Other items

There’s no change to prices for optical vouchers for glasses; however, charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and fabric supports supplied by hospitals will be increased. Items will now cost:

• Surgical bra - £25.10
• Abdominal or spinal support - £37.90
• Modacrylic wig - £61.85
• Partial human hair wig - £163.80
• Full bespoke human hair wig - £239.65

Not everyone pays

In announcing the charges, the Department of Health points out that not everyone pays for prescriptions. A Department of Health spokesperson says in an emailed statement: "The extensive exemption arrangements we have in place mean that in England, around 90% of prescription items are already dispensed free of charge. The price of the 12 month prescription pre-payment certificate will be frozen for the second year running. This allows people to get all the prescriptions they need for an average cost of £2 per week.”

Reaction

In an emailed statement, Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients Association says: “At a time when many patients are struggling to make ends meet, another increase on charges they must pay is not acceptable. Some patients are put off going to their doctor because they do not want to have to pay for their prescriptions. It is essential all patients feel they can access healthcare when they need it and not be deterred by costs.

“Doctors and patients alike have been calling for this tax on the sick to be abolished for years and it is time the Government learnt the lessons that the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish have, and abolish prescription charges in England once and for all.”

The doctors’ organisation, the BMA, is calling the  UK’s prescription charge differences “a chaotic and unfair mess”.

In a statement, Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of BMA Council, says: “The government should not be increasing prescription charges; it should be following the lead set by the three other nations in the UK and making plans to abolish them.

“The bureaucracy needed to administer prescription charges is cumbersome, many of the exemptions are confusing and unfair. Patients with disabling long-term conditions still have to pay them despite a recent report recommending they be phased out.”

Responding to the scrapping of prescription charges in Scotland, the Department of Health spokesperson says: "Abolishing prescription charges in England would leave the NHS with a funding gap of over £450 million each year. This is valuable income - equivalent to the salary costs of nearly 18,000 nurses, or 15,000 midwives, or over 3,500 hospital consultants. This income helps the NHS to maintain vital services for patients.”