The announcement that NHS prescriptions charges in England are not set to increase for the first time in over a decade has come as a welcome relief to many. But particularly for patients who rely on regular prescriptions, the burden of forking out each time they need their vital medication has not gone away.
While a freeze in any required charge will always be welcomed, it can still be useful to know where patients can save even more money where possible. We have put together a useful list of when you need to pay for your prescriptions and where you can save some cash.
This includes a time where you might fall into the exemption category or when you find yourself having to pay for a private prescription. There is also money to be saved by shopping around and asking the right questions in pharmacies.
How much are prescriptions
The charge for a single prescription is £9.35. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced for the first time in 12 years that this charge will be frozen as the UK is plunged into a cost of living crisis.
Who pays for prescriptions
Generally people requiring medication in England will pay for their prescription unless they are exempt due to the age, income or a medical condition.
Who is exempt
According to the NHS website, you can get free NHS prescriptions if, at the time the prescription is dispensed, you:
- are 60 or over
- are under 16
- are 16 to 18 and in full-time education
- are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)
- have a specified medical condition and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
- have a continuing physical disability that prevents you going out without help from another person and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
- hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability
- are an NHS inpatient
You're also entitled to free prescriptions if you or your partner (including civil partner) receive, or you're under the age of 20 and the dependant of someone receiving:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Universal Credit and meet the criteria
The Money Saving Expert website points out a possibly lesser known point about when you are exempt from paying for prescriptions. The website states: "All medicines administered by a GP or in hospitals or NHS walk-in centres are free (not if they prescribe you something to take away). Also free are prescribed contraceptives, and treatments for most sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis and some mental health conditions (if the medicine has been prescribed under a community treatment order)."
Cheaper ways of getting prescriptions
A prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) can be a more cost-effective way of paying for regular prescriptions and if you have a lot of them. They work like a 'season ticket' and cover you for NHS prescriptions, including NHS dental prescriptions, no matter how many items you need.
You can pay in instalments, with a choice of payments plans and options. And you can save up to £340 a month if you need four items.
A prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) costs £30.25 for three months and £108.10 for a 12 month certificate.
Over the counter medicines can be cheaper than prescriptions. The Money Saving Expert website states: " If you're prescribed common medication such as painkillers or dermatology creams that are also available over the counter, often it's cheaper to buy them that way rather than pay for a prescription.
"There's no hard and fast rule, though. On the flip side, if you use a lot of medication such as three months of antihistamine for summer hay fever, getting a doctor to do a bulk prescription is often cheaper. Plus if you've already bought a prepayment certificate, you'll pay nothing extra."
You have more of a choice when it comes to private prescriptions , compared with the NHS. Money Saving Expert advises: "Non-NHS doctors can't give NHS prescriptions. So go to one for emergency weekend diagnosis, or because you're a member of a scheme, and you'll get a private prescription.
"Unlike the world of NHS prescriptions, with private prescriptions it's an open marketplace and pharmacies can set their own prices, meaning costs vary hugely."
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