NHS Prescription Charges

Steve Brine Excerpts

Thursday 21st February 2019 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Steve Brine)]

My right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Baroness Blackwood) has made the following written statement:

Regulations will shortly be laid before Parliament to increase certain national health service charges in England from 1 April 2019.

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 20 pence from £8.80 to £9 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 pre-payment certificates (PPC) for another year. The 3 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 2019-20 can be found in the table below: