The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7322 p598
23 October 2004

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· Concordance
· Medicines distribution
· Pharmacy education
· Management training
· Medicines stability
· New contract
· Technicians
· Prescription charge
· Personal control
· Private dispensing
· Dispensing
· Health services
· Drug delivery
· The Society
· The Journal

Letters to the Editor

Prescription charge

Nonsense at the England/Wales border

From Mr J. Barthram, MRPharmS, and Mr K. Hope, MRPharmS

From 1 October, prescriptions in Wales cost £5 per item whereas in England it remains £6.40. This fact is advertised in doctors’ surgeries on both sides of the border. If you are on the English side, within the county of Gloucestershire, less than half a mile from the Welsh border, dispensing solely Welsh prescriptions from Welsh doctors for patients with a Welsh postcode (despite being in Gloucestershire) is there any dispensation in the current regulations which allows for payment of the Welsh fee instead of the English? Does the same apply to dispensing doctors based in Wales with branch surgeries in England? What are the contractual issues (if any) of collecting Welsh prescriptions on the English side for dispensing in a Welsh pharmacy and charging £5 instead of £6.40 or nothing at all if aged under 25?

I am confused and so are my patients. Perhaps if English patients were issued with English prescriptions requiring an English levy and Welsh patients were issued with Welsh prescriptions requiring a Welsh levy then at least it would be a level playing field for everyone because the current situation is a complete nonsense at the England/Wales border.

Julian Barthram
Kevin Hope
Chepstow, Gwent

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