Prescription charges were first introduced in 1952. They were abolished in 1965 but then reintroduced, with exemptions, in 1968 because of budgetary pressures. In 2019 approximately £600 million was generated in revenue from prescription charges which supported direct delivery of NHS services.
In England out of 1.1 billion items dispensed in 2018, almost 90% of prescription items dispensed in the community in England were free of charge. Almost 63% of all items were dispensed free of charge because the patient was aged 60 or over. The prescription charge exemptions cover 3 broad categories:
those of a certain age, that is those:
under 16
aged 16 to 18 in full time education
aged 60 and over
those on low income, that is via certain Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits and tax credits (which will largely be replaced by Universal Credit) and the NHS Low Income Scheme
those with certain medical conditions and expectant or new mothers.
Yes I heard this and am grateful I am retired now. I don't know why England is the only country to pay prescription charges and the other 3 home countries don't. Surely it would be better to make them pay instead of making more of us pay? That would seem a lot more fair. x
I don't know why we get this singular honour but the other three get government subsidies and can choose to spend it how they want and this is one of them. This is how I understand it but happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!
My daughter received free prescriptions until she was twenty due to being in full time education and my circumstances. I had a letter stating she was entitled from the DWP. I carefully researched her entitlement and applied. Sadly the entitlement was not covered by any of the tick boxes on the prescription and that started six months of phone calls by both my pharmacist and myself. Basically I left the form blank with no box ticked. It was questioned by the powers that be because entitlement was not shown and a box not ticked! I sent a copy of the letter stating her entitlement and which regulation covered it. I asked which box to tick but they could not tell me as no box covered it! Lol....it is a very long story
I read about this this week. It won't apply to me now but since being diagnosed with COPD at the age of 60, the one good thing was free prescriptions for the numerous medications I was gradually prescribed.
I would still be covered due to having hypothyroid. But a number could end up not having enough funds to pay for unexpected meds and so deciding not to get them.
I am covered due to have diabetes. Before that I purchased the prescription prepayment. I do feel the whole system needs reviewing. In particular those with medical long term conditions should not have to pay in my opinion. Many conditions are not included in free prescription list. Prior to diabetes and having to pay I had asthma, COPD, and other long term conditions. If I had decided I couldn’t afford the medications I needed I would probably have ended up in hospital seriously unwell. This would have cost far more than providing me with free prescriptions!!
As I am 49 and not exempt from paying for prescriptions the amount of medication I take would cost me about £600 a year in prescription charges. Luckily I use the pre-paid prescription service so only end up paying out £108 annually!
That is a Godsend isn't it?Although now 65 before I was able to get free prescriptions it would have cost me approx £120 a month.
The prepaid prescription card was a lifesaver and well worth the money spent
Probably the right thing to do but would cost me a bloody fortune!!Good excuse to stop taking the pills - not convinced they do anything anyway. A lot of people might feel the same way.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
