Health minister Simon Burns has confirmed that the cost of an NHS prescription will rise by 25p to £7.65 from April 1st in England.
Mr Burns outlined a number of changes in the amounts charged for NHS services in a written statement to MPs. He added that patients purchasing a three-month or annual prescription payment certificate (PPC) will not face any increase, with the costs remaining at £29.10 and £104, respectively. The health minister pointed out that PPCs “offer savings for those needing four or more items in three months or 14 or more items in one year”.
Furthermore many people in England qualify for free prescriptions, including the over-60s, under-18s, pregnant women and people undergoing treatment for cancer. Patients living in Scotland also receive free prescriptions.
In addition charges for NHS dental treatment are also set to rise. For example “band 1” course of treatment including examination, diagnosis and advice, X-rays, a scale and polish and planning for further work if necessary - will rise 50p to £17.50. Band 2 charges, covering fillings, root canal treatment and extractions, will rise by £1 to £48. For band 3 work, such as crowns, dentures and bridges, the cost will increase by £5 to £209. Mr Burns said, “Dental charges represent an important contribution to the overall cost of dental services. The exact amount raised will be dependent upon the level and type of primary care trusts and the proportion of charge-paying patients who attend dentists and the level of treatment they require.”
Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and fabric supports supplied by hospitals will also be increased. The value of vouchers for glasses for children, people on low incomes and those with complex sight problems will increase by 2.5 per cent overall.
Figures from the NHS Information Centre show that 241.6 million items were dispensed in the community between July and September 2011 in England. The combined net ingredient cost of all these prescriptions was £2,228 million.
A Department of Health spokesman said, “The Government is investing an extra £12.5 billion in the NHS. And we are cutting back on bureaucracy, releasing an extra £4.5 billion for patient services. In England, around 90 per cent of prescription items are dispensed free. We have frozen the price of both the three month and the 12 month prescription pre-payment certificate so that anyone who needs 14 or more prescription items in a year can get all the prescriptions they need for an average cost of £2 per week.” The changes will be made in regulations laid before Parliament shortly.
A BMA spokesperson said that the current system needs reforming. “It's unfair for patients as whether you pay depends not only on what part of the UK you live in, but also on what kind of condition you have. The bureaucracy to administer the charging and exemption regime is also cumbersome and costly. The BMA believes it would be best to abolish prescription charges in England altogether.”