Regulations have been laid before Parliament to increase certain National Health Service charges in England from 1 April 2018.
In the 2015 Spending Review, the government committed to support the Five Year Forward View with £10 billion investment in real terms by 2020 to 2021 to fund frontline NHS services. Alongside this, the government expects the NHS to deliver £22 billion of efficiency savings to secure the best value from NHS resources and Primary Care must play its part.
This year, therefore, they have increased the prescription charge by 20 pence from £8.60 to £8.80 for each medicine or appliance dispensed. To ensure that those with the greatest need, and who are not already exempt from the charge, are protected they have frozen the cost of the prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) for another year. The 3-month PPC remains at £29.10 and the cost of the annual PPC will stay at £104. Taken together, this means prescription charge income is expected to rise broadly in line with inflation.
Charges for wigs and fabric supports will also be increased in line with inflation.
Details of the revised charges for 2018 to 2019 can be found below.
Prescription charges
- Single charge: £8.80
- 3 month PPC (no change): £29.10
- 12 month PPC (no change): £104.00
Wigs and fabric supports
- Surgical bra: £28.85
- Abdominal or spinal support: £43.60
- Stock modacrylic wig: £71.25
- Partial human hair wig: £188.70
- Full bespoke human hair wig: £275.95