01.04.15
Should prescription charges be scrapped in England?
From today the NHS prescription charge has been increased by 15p to £8.20 per prescription item. This means that since 2010 prescription prices have increased by £1 under the Coalition government.
The government does state that 90% of prescription items are already provided free of charge, with exemptions for people on low incomes, children and the over-60s. But to many this increase is an unwelcome change.
Sue Sharpe, chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, said the prescription charge is a tax on the sick and as all pharmacies will know, many people who have to pay the charges find it extremely difficult to do so.
“We understand that all public services are having to tighten their belts and so the charge is viewed as a regrettable evil, but at a time when many people are experiencing financial pressures themselves, the increase is unwelcome,” she said.
Last month, health minister Earl Howe said the government had been making tough decisions to protect the NHS budget and increase it in real terms, but health charges remain an important source of revenue to support the delivery of high quality NHS services.
“This is particularly important given the increasing demands on the NHS, with spending on medicines alone doubling since 2000. It is therefore crucial that these charges increase to keep up with rising costs,” he said.
But David Branford, The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Board chair, said the “inexorable rise” in costs for people needing prescription medicines becomes more and more of a burden with each passing year.
He added the Society would like to see prescription charges abolished in England, following the lead of Scotland and Wales.
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