Government raises prescription charges

The government has announced a rise in the price of prescriptions effective from April 1st 2006.

In a move that the Department of Health has suggested is in line with inflation, the cost of prescription certificates is also set to rise, from ?33.90 to ?34.65 for four months and from ?93.20 to ?95.30 for 12 months.

One-off prescriptions are set to rise by 15p to a price of ?6.64.

“For the eighth consecutive year we have held the increase to below or around the level of inflation,” said minister of state for delivery, quality and patient safety, Jane Kennedy.

“This is a modest increase, which will help maintain the contribution that charges make towards the cost of the NHS. The extensive exemption arrangements we have in place mean that, in England, 87 per cent of prescription items are dispensed free of charge.”

Despite the fact that the Department of Health says that over 50 per cent of the population gets prescriptions free of charge, the NHS is expected to raise ?430 million over the course of 2006-07 through prescription charges.

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