Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to create a lifelong prescription exemption certificate for patients who have long-term medical conditions which will last for life.
The Government has no plans to create a lifelong prescription exemption certificate for patients with a long-term medical condition. Medical exemption certificates are valid for a period of five years because, although many of the conditions on the list are lifelong, some can resolve over time and the patient’s entitlement should be reviewed by their clinician periodically. For operational ease and to provide simplicity for patients and clinicians, the five year validity period applies to all conditions.