Department of Health written question – answered at on 11 February 2015.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Prescription Charges Coalition report on prescription charges and employment.
We have made no formal assessment. The main recommendation of the Prescription Charges Coalition’s report is to extend prescription charge exemptions to all those with a long-term condition. Extending exemption to this group was the focus of the review undertaken by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore at the request of the previous Government. Responding to the review in 2010, the Government made clear that, in light of the challenging financial context, no changes would be made to the current list of exemptions and this continues to be the case.
Prescription charges in England raise valuable income, in the region of £450 million each year, which helps the National Health Service to maintain vital services for patients.
There is an extensive system of exemption arrangements already in place, including for those on low incomes who may struggle to pay for their prescriptions. This means that around 90% of all prescription items are already dispensed free of charge. Prescription Prepayment Certificates are also available for those who need multiple prescriptions, such as those with long term conditions, and have to pay NHS prescription charges. To support this group, the cost of the annual certificate has been frozen for the last five years and the three month certificate for the last three years.
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