Chancellor urged to scrap NHS prescription charges — ‘cruel tax’

Pharmacy leaders and charities representing millions of patients with chronic illnesses are urging the Chancellor to scrap NHS prescription charges. Campaigners branded the charges “a cruel tax on illness” and warned they were deterring some patients from accessing treatment.

A survey of 1,781 adults by the National Pharmacy Association found one in 10 had gone without medication they needed in the last year due to concerns about cost. Some 12% said they had delayed picking up prescriptions and 41% were worried about being unable to afford them.

The prescription charge is £9.90 per item, or less with a pre-payment certificate valid for three to 12 months. Some groups are already exempt from the charges, including under-16s, over-60s, pregnant women and people with certain long-term health conditions.

Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “No patient should ever see cost as being a barrier to accessing the medicines they need, but this polling shows an alarming number do.

“It is a national scandal and deeply unfair that anyone could consider stopping vital medicines because of cost. This cruel tax on illness, where some patients are exempt but others are forced to pay simply because they have the wrong kind of illness, undermines the founding principles of the NHS.”

Ashley Cohen, a pharmacy owner in Yorkshire, said pharmacists were dealing with patients worried about the charges “on a weekly basis”. He added: “Patients often ask us: ‘Which is the more important medicine, if I have to choose one over another?’

“At nearly £10 per prescription item, if someone has two to three items for an acute illness, it does have an impact for someone who is already struggling with household budgets.”

Mr Cohen said pharmacists wanted to focus on care but “are acting as tax collectors on behalf of the government”.

He added that although the charges raised £732 million for the NHS last year, there is also a significant cost to pharmacies and the health service of collecting the fees, checking exemption statuses, and dealing with the consequences if patients do not take prescribed medicine.

Prescription charges were abolished in Wales in 2007, in Northern Ireland in 2010, and in Scotland in 2011. Labour pledged to scrap the charges for everyone in England in its 2019 manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Picard added: “If the Chancellor wants to tackle the rising cost of living and health inequalities, he should bring England into line with the rest of the UK and scrap this unfair and complex prescription tax.”

The call was backed by charities including Parkinson’s UK, Kidney Care UK and Crohn’s & Colitis UK.

Sarah Sleet, chief executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “It’s alarming that people are being forced to go without vital medicines. Because respiratory conditions aren’t included on the prescription charges exemptions list, people are left essentially paying for their right to breathe.

“Lung conditions hit deprived communities the hardest and as winter approaches, people living with respiratory conditions – who are at a higher risk of ending up seriously unwell in winter – face the double blow of unaffordable prescription charges alongside increased heating bills.”

Dr James Davies, director of research and insights at Community Pharmacy England, said: “Scrapping prescription charges would remove a barrier to essential medicines while also simplifying the system for both patients and pharmacy teams. Healthcare should be based on clinical need, not ability to pay.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Almost nine in 10 NHS prescriptions in England are currently supplied free of charge.