PRESCRIPTION costs will be “unaffordable for many” after rising to £9.90 tomorrow, medics warn.
Charges have risen 2.59 per cent compared to the £9.65 they cost last year, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed.
The high costs are effectively a “tax on the working poor” and could result in less well-off patients being unable to pick up lifesaving drugs, campaigners claimed.
Tase Oputu, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “This is a dark day for patients who will now have to pay nearly £10 for each item on their prescription.
“Amid the cost of living crisis, the rise in prescription charges will hit working people on low incomes the hardest.
“The relentless annual increase in the prescription charge is making medicines unaffordable for many. This is totally unacceptable. You can, it seems, put a price on health.”
Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, the single prescription charge usually rises every April in England.
The rate has risen from tomorrow, with 12-month NHS prescription prepayment certificates — which cover all prescriptions for a set price — also increasing from £111.60 to £114.50.
Prescriptions are free for certain groups of people including children, over-60s, pregnant women, people who are on certain benefits and people with certain medical conditions.
But medics and campaigners are concerned many at-risk patients will be hit hard by the new charges.
Ms Oputu said: “Every day pharmacists are asked by patients who are unable to afford all the items in their prescription which ones they can ‘do without’.
“No-one should face a financial barrier to getting the medicines they need to keep them well.
“As the Government looks to reduce spending on benefits, medicines play a crucial role in helping people stay healthy and in work.
“Prescription charges should be scrapped in England, as they have been in the rest of the UK.”
Nick Kaye, of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “To allow the prescription charge to rise to this level is a shameful neglect of working people on low fixed incomes, who are not exempt.
“Many people already choose not to collect some or all their prescription medicines because of cost, with potentially dire health consequences.
“This is a tax on the working poor that deepens the cost-of-living crisis for them.”
PRESCRIPTIONS CAMPAIGN
The Prescription Charges Coalition, an alliance of more than 50 organisations, has called for an urgent review of the prescription charges exemption list.
The coalition said the exemption list has remained relatively unchanged for the last 50 years and neglects to include many life-altering conditions such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, cystic fibrosis, HIV, and asthma.
It raised concerns that people will be forced to skip their medication because of the spiralling costs.
One patient with Parkinson’s disease said her financial situation was “dire” as a result of living with the condition.
Wendy Tombs, from Shropshire, said: “The prescription price rise is just another nail in the coffin for people living with Parkinson’s.
The NHS prescription charge price increase has struck fear into people living with long-term health conditions
Laura Cockram
“The way prices keep going up, I don’t know how much longer I can last.”
The 59-year-old has received a grant from charity Parkinson’s UK to cover the cost of her prescription prepayment certificate.
Laura Cockram, head of campaigns at Parkinson’s UK and chairwoman of the coalition, said: “The NHS prescription charge price increase has struck fear into people living with long-term health conditions, such as Parkinson’s.
“People are already struggling financially due to the cost-of-living crisis, and increasing the cost of prescriptions will result in more people missing, reducing, or delaying taking their medication, meaning their condition will deteriorate.
“There is limited financial support that charities can offer to offset Government shortcomings.
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“That’s why we’re calling on the UK Government to freeze the charge in 2025 and commit to urgently reviewing the prescription charge exemption list.”
The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.
What does a well-stocked medicine cabinet look like?
Most of us have allowed our bathroom cupboards to become cluttered with useless and out-of-date drugs and devices.
Here’s what you should have to hand, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society,
Medicines:
- Pain relief – painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen are highly effective at relieving most minor aches and pains, such as headaches and period pain
- Decongestants – can provide short-term relief for a blocked or stuffy nose.
- Indigestion treatment – if you have stomach ache or heartburn, a simple antacid will reduce stomach acidity and bring relief
- Antihistamines – these are useful for dealing with allergies and insect bites
- Anti-diarrhoea tablets – these remedies can quickly control the symptoms of diarrhoea, although they don’t deal with the underlying cause.
- Oral re-hydration salts – an easy way to help restore your body’s natural balance of minerals and fluid, and help your recovery after fever, diarrhoea or vomiting
- Sunscreen – keep a sun lotion of at least factor 15 to reduce your risk of skin cancer
First aid kit:
- Bandages – can support injured limbs, such as a sprained wrist, and apply direct pressure to larger cuts before being treated in hospital
- Plasters – a range of sizes, waterproof if possible
- Eyewash solution – this will help wash out grit or dirt in the eyes.
- Thermometer – digital thermometers that you put in your mouth produce very accurate readings; an underarm thermometer or an ear thermometer are good ways to read a baby or young child’s temperature.
- Sterile dressings – larger injuries should be covered with a sterile dressing to prevent infection until treatment can be given by a healthcare professional
- Tweezers – for taking out splinters; if splinters are left in, they can cause discomfort and could become infected
- Antiseptic – this can be used to clean cuts before they’re bandaged, and most can treat a range of conditions, including insect stings, ulcers and pimples; alcohol-free antiseptic wipes are useful to clean cut