Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 27 October (HL2574), what assessment they have made of the financial impact of suspending prescription charges for 2022/23 on people living with sickle cell disease.

No specific assessment has been made and we have no plans to implement a suspension. However, officials are working with organisations in the health and care system on how we can continue to protect the health of those with sickle cell disease. NHS England has also launched a sickle cell clinical pathway review, with contributions from patients living with sickle cell disease. Recommendations from this review will be made to NHS England’s Executive Quality Group at the end of November 2022.