Prescription charge to increase by 20p to £8.80
The prescription charge in England will jump from £8.60 to £8.80 on April 1, the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) has confirmed.
The cost of pre-paid prescription certificates (PPC) will remain frozen for another year, health minister Lord O’Shaughnessy confirmed on Wednesday (February 21).
The three-month PPC will remain at £29.10, while an annual PPC will stay at £104.
“Taken together, this means prescription charge income is expected to rise broadly in line with inflation,” Lord O’Shaughnessy said in a statement.
Patients with certain medical conditions – including cancer, epilepsy and diabetes – as well as pregnant women, new mothers, children under 16, anyone over 60, and those on a low income, will remain exempt from prescription charges.
Prescription charges have increased by 20p instalments for the last two years, following a 15p rise in 2015.
The Northern Irish government launched a consultation in December to seek views on whether to reintroduce prescription charges to help “balance the budget”.
Should England abolish the prescription charge?