NHS prescriptions rise by 30p to £9.65 in April despite ‘tax on health’ being frozen last year

The cost of an NHS prescription will rise to £9.65 this year, the government announced today.

From April 1, patients in England will have to pay an extra £30 to collect their medication from a pharmacy.

Campaigners have long called the fee patients have to pay to secure certain drugs such as warfarin or asthma inhalers an “unfair burden on health.”

England is the only country in the UK still suing, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland dropped charges more than a decade ago.

Prescription costs were frozen at £9.35 per item last April to ‘ease pressure on cost of living’ – this was the first time the government had not imposed an annual increase in 12 years.

Prescription costs were frozen at £9.35 per item last April to ‘ease pressure on cost of living’ – this was the first time the government had not imposed an annual increase in 12 years

But in a statement tonight, the Department of Health and Social Care said it had applied an inflation rate of 3.21 percent.

The cost of prepayment certificates, prescription wigs and fabric supports will also be increased in line with the rate of inflation.

Currently, people who don’t qualify for free medicines can get a Prepayment Prepayment Certificate (PPC), which costs £108.10 for a year.

However, this will add up to £111.60 per year.

The recently introduced HRT PPC – which gives women a significant discount on their annual HRT costs – now costs £19.30, up from £18.70.

There are few pay exemptions for patients in England, including those aged 16-18 who are in full-time education or patients once they turn 60.

Medications such as birth control are almost always free as well.

It comes as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) warned last month that current costs do not reflect current times.

Experts and campaigners have long scorned the price hike, which they say runs counter to the NHS’s public plans and could lead patients to skimp on essential medicines.

An RPS survey last month also found that half of pharmacists had seen an increase in the number of patients asking them which prescription they “can do without” in the past six months.

One in two pharmacists also saw an increase in the number of people not collecting their prescription.

Two out of three pharmacists reported an increase in requests for cheaper, over-the-counter substitutes for the drug they were prescribed.

Thorrun Govind, chair of the RPS’s English Pharmacy Board, told MailOnline: ‘The cost of living crisis remains stuck. This is a kick in the teeth for people who are already struggling.’

She added: “Soon energy support will also end. The government urgently needs to abolish prescription costs in England.’

Earlier this week, MPs also expressed concern in parliament over government proposals to raise the age exemption for prescriptions from 60 to 66, in line with the state pension age.

It followed a petition that garnered more than 46,000 signatures. The government, however has yet to make a decision on whether or not to proceed with the proposals.

It is believed that approximately £600 million in revenue is generated each year from prescription charges for the provision of NHS services.