The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Steve Brine)
My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) has made the following statement: Prescription charges Wigs and Fabric Supports Single charge £8.80 Three-month PPC (no change) £29.10 12-month PPC (no change) £104.00 Surgical brassiere £28.85 Abdominal or spinal support £43.60 Stock modacrylic wig £71.25 Partial human hair wig £188.70 Full bespoke human hair wig £275.95
Regulations will shortly be laid before Parliament to increase certain national health service charges in England from 1 April 2018.
In the 2015 spending review, the Government committed to support the five year forward view with £10 billion investment in real terms by 2020-21 to fund frontline NHS services. Alongside this, the Government expect the NHS to deliver £22 billion of efficiency savings to secure the best value from NHS resources and primary care must play its part.
This year, therefore, we have increased the prescription charge by 20p from £8.60 to £8.80 for each medicine or appliance dispensed. To ensure that those with the greatest need, and who are not already exempt from the charge, are protected we have frozen the cost of the prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) for another year. The three-month PPC remains at £29.10 and the cost of the annual PPC will stay at £104. Taken together, this means prescription charge income is expected to rise broadly in line with inflation.
Charges for wigs and fabric supports will also be increased in line with inflation.
Details of the revised charges for 2018-19 can be found in the table below:
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