NHS prescription charges are due to increase from April 1, 2023, the department of health and social care (DHSC) has announced. The charge was frozen at £9.35 last April to help “ease cost of living pressures”, however, the DHSC has confirmed it will rise this year by an inflation rate of 3.21 percent.
England is the only country in the UK that still charges patients for their prescriptions. Individuals across Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland get theirs for free after charges were scrapped just over a decade ago.
The changes will see patients paying an additional 30p for their prescriptions, increasing from £9.35 to £9.65.
The price rise also includes prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs), wigs, and fabric supports.
A three-month PPC will rise by £1 to £31.23, while a 12-month PPC will cost an additional £3.50, bringing the price up to £111.60. The recently introduced Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) PPC will cost £19.30.
READ MORE: Martin Lewis warns over 1 million people overpaid on NHS prescriptions
Charges for wigs and fabric supports will also rise in line with the blended inflation rate of 3.21 percent.
Details of the revised charges for 2023 to 2024 include:
New prescription charges
- Single charge: £9.65
- 3-month PPC: £31.25
- 12-month PPC: £111.60
- HRT PPC: £19.30
Earlier this week, MPs debated the Government proposals to raise the upper age exemption for prescription charges from 60 to the state pension age of 66.
The debate followed a petition to protect free NHS prescriptions for those over 60, which gained more than 46,000 signatures last year.
Neil O’Brien, parliamentary under-secretary of state for primary care and public health told Westminster Hall that the decision is still being deliberated while the Government attempts to strike the balance between supporting people with the cost of living pressures while increasing funding for the NHS.
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