Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of stroke patients being automatically eligible for medical exemption certificates in respect of prescription costs.

There are no current plans to review or extend the prescription charge medical exemptions list to include long term conditions such as stroke. Approximately 89% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge and arrangements are already in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension. Some stroke patients may meet the eligibility criteria for prescription charge exemptions and may therefore be in receipt of free prescriptions.