Patients with long term conditions to get free prescriptions in future

Patients with long-term conditions will get free prescriptions in the future under plans announced by the Prime Minister.

Gordon Brown told the Labour Party conference that prescription charges for cancer patients will be scrapped from next year, with other conditions to follow afterwards.

Prescription charges were scraped in Wales last year and are in the process of being phased out in Scotland. A few medical conditions, such as epilepsy and some forms of diabetes already get free prescriptions, with exemptions also available for children, pensioners and people on certain benefits.

The cost of the measure is expected to be paid for by making savings in the overall drugs budget. Savings are expected to be made by more bulk-buying of drugs and increased use of cheaper generic versions rather than branded ones.

Each prescription item in England currently costs £7.10 and prescription charges raise over £400 million for the NHS, even though the range of exemptions already in place mean that only 12& os precsriptions are currently paid for.

Mr Brown said that:

"Because we know that almost every British family has been touched by cancer, [Health Secretary] Alan Johnson and I know we must do more to relieve the financial worry that so often goes alongside the heartache, so our plan is next year to abolish all prescription charges for everyone with cancer.

And this is not the limit of our commitment to a fair NHS.

In the long-term, as the NHS generates cash savings in its drugs budget, we will plough them back into abolishing charges for all patients with long-term conditions."

It is to be hoped that the scrapping of prescription charges will not make it more difficult for patients with long-term conditions to obtain expensive medications, especially branded versions which can sometimes be better tolerated or more effective. The scrapping of the prescription charge in Wales has already led to some GPs being less willing to prescribe drugs.

In the meantime, patients who pay for more than 3 prescription items in 3 months, or 14 items in 12 months can save money by obtaining a pre-payment prescription certificate (PPC). A 3-month PPC will cost you £27.85 and a 12-month PPC £102.50. For more information or to order a PPC, see the Prescription Pricing Authority website here.