England Prescription Charge To Rise 2012
23 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
The cost of an NHS prescription will rise by 25p to £7.65 from April 1st in England, health minister Simon Burns has confirmed.
Mr Burns outlined a number of changes in the amounts charged for NHS services in a written statement to MPs.
However, patients purchasing a three-month or annual prescription payment certificate (PPC) will not face any increase, with the costs remaining at £29.10 and £104, respectively.
The health minister pointed out that PPCs ‘offer savings for those needing four or more items in three months or 14 or more items in one year’.
Charges for NHS dental treatment are also set to rise, with the cost of basic dental treatment – including examination, diagnosis and advice – increasing by 50p to £17.50 and that of more complex work – such as crowns, dentures and bridges – rising by £5 to £209.
Figures from the NHS Information Centre show that 241.6 million items were dispensed in the community between July and September 2011 in England.
The combined net ingredient cost of all these prescriptions was £2,228 million.
Many people in England qualify for free prescriptions, including the over-60s, under-18s, pregnant women and people undergoing treatment for cancer.
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