Prescription charges in England will increase by 40p over the next two years, pharmacy minister Earl Howe has announced today (March 11).

Charges will increase by 20p from £7.85 to £8.05 in April, with a further 20p being added next year, Earl Howe announced in a written statement in parliament.

The government had made "tough decisions" to protect the NHS budget, but charges for medicines were an important source of revenue to fund health services, he explained.

The government had made "tough decisions" to protect the NHS budget, but charges for medicines were an important source of revenue, said pharmacy minister Earl Howe	More on prescription charges Raise prescription fee to £10, urges think tank Pharmacists call for a universal prescription charge DH rebuffs pharmacists' calls for script-charge overhaul
	Spending on medicines has almost doubled since 2000 and the government wanted to ensure patients with the "greatest need" were protected from paying for prescriptions, he said. To ensure this, the costs of prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) had been frozen at £104 for the next two years, Earl Howe said. Three-month certificates would also remain fixed at £29.10, he added.

Earl Howe said more than 90 per cent of prescription items were dispensed free, with extensive exemptions for those on low incomes, on specific benefits or on the NHS low-income scheme.

However, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) called for greater flexibility when prescribing to patients with stable long-term conditions.

RPS English Pharmacy Board vice-chair Ash Soni suggested expanding the repeat dispensing scheme, which would allow prescribers to issue batches of monthly prescriptions. This could reduce costs by linking prescription charges to repeat authorisations rather than to each prescription form, he said.

"We strongly believe patients should be able to access high-quality care in an equitable way that does not disadvantage them because of an inability to afford prescription charges," Mr Soni added.

Last year, the DH announced a similar 20p hike in prescription charges, prompting pharmacy bodies to warn that patient health could suffer.