NHS prescription charges: Britons urged to act as millions fear ‘spiralling’ costs | Personal Finance | Finance
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Many people rely on NHS prescriptions to help them cope with various ailments. With the cost of living rising again in April, the Prescription Charges Coalition has voiced its concerns that people on life saving and vital medication will not be able to afford their prescriptions.
The group of health charities and professional bodies is campaigning to scrap prescription charges for people with long term health conditions.
They warn the long term effects of missed or delayed medications can range from deterioration in an individual’s condition resulting in avoidable hospital stays that increase pressure on the NHS, to fatal consequences in some cases.
The coalition says that since April 1979, prescription charges have risen 14 times faster than the cost of a pint of milk and 12 times faster than a loaf of bread.
The charities involved believe this disproportionate rise is penalising those with long-term health conditions including asthma and Crohn’s disease. They added that there is no sign of any freeze in 2022.
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The charities believe this cost is one that many people approaching 60 will not have factored into their financial plans.
The Coalition also argues that the Government has not thoroughly assessed how the proposal will affect certain groups.
This could be those with degenerative health conditions, multiple health conditions, those from diverse communities with lower life expectancy and those living in areas where the median pay rates are below the UK average.
In the North East of England, 81 percent of people reported that they were struggling to afford their asthma medication, compared with 70 percent of people in London, according to data from a survey conducted by Asthma UK.
Laura Cockram, Chair of the Prescription Charges Coalition and Head of Policy and Campaigns at Parkinson’s UK said: “The pandemic has hit people hard and households are already worrying about how they are going to be able to afford rising bills and national insurance contributions.
“To hit people approaching 60 with six more years of spiralling prescription charges for long term health conditions that are outside of their control is cruel.
“The Government’s decision to put a heftier price on the medications that change people’s lives will place more pressure on stretched NHS services and could even be fatal.”
Ms Cockram detailed some of the groups who could be hit particularly hard.
She continued: “Both those with long term health conditions, and pharmacists alike, are sharing experiences where people are having to ration their medication to make it last longer.
“Others simply choose to go without some or all their medications, just so they can pay for their heating, or petrol to get to work.
“This is not a decision that people take lightly, nor is it one that the Government should be forcing them into.
“At a bare minimum, we want the Government to review the widely outdated prescription exemption list, which hasn’t been looked at in over 50 years.”
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