The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7188 p311-320
9 March 2002

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News summary

Prescription charge to rise to £6.20 in England and Scotland

The National Health Service prescription charge is to rise by 10p to £6.20 per item in England and Scotland on 1 April. The cost of prescription prepayment certificates will increase from £31.90 to £32.40 for four months and from £87.60 to £89 for 12 months.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Hazel Blears described the increase as modest, noting that it was the fourth year in succession that the increase had been held to 10p.

Prescription charges are expected to raise £434m for the NHS in England.

Prescription charges in Wales were frozen at £6 per item in 2000 with exemption extended to everyone under the age of 25 in 2001. This freeze is expected to last at least until the next Welsh Assembly elections in May 2003.