The Government has announced there will be an April prescription charge rise in England from £8.40 to £8.60.
Responding to the increase in prescription charges to £8.60 in England, Morgan Vine of Parkinson’s UK who Co-Chair the Prescription Charges Coalition, a group of nearly 40 organisations campaigning to end prescription charges for people with long-term medical conditions, said:
"This will come as a blow to people with long term conditions, who already have to deal with additional living costs, and rely on regular medication to manage their condition.
“Our research* showed that 1 in 3 people with long term conditions, who answered our survey, had not collected a prescription because of the expense. This can have a hugely negative impact on the person’s health, often resulting in expensive hospital treatment and days off work.
“In 2018 the outdated and illogical medical exemption list for England will be 50 years old. It is unfair that some conditions are exempt from all charges, where others are required to pay for everything. It is the Government’s duty to support everyone with a long term conditionto take their medication as prescribed. They must take urgent action to address this unjust situation.”
*Paying the Price: Prescription Charges and people with long-term conditions. Prescription Charges Coalition. March 2013.
Notes to editors
The Prescription Charges Coalition (PCC) is an alliance of 40 organisations, including Disability Rights UK, concerned with the detrimental impact of prescription charges on people of working age with long-term conditions. We have launched a new survey looking at the ways in which prescription charges affect the lives of people in England with long-term conditions.
