NHS prescription charges from April 2019
Charges for NHS prescriptions and wigs and fabric supports.
Regulations have been laid before Parliament to increase certain National Health Service charges in England from 1 April 2019.
In the 2015 spending review, the government committed to support the Five Year Forward View with 拢10 billion investment in real terms by 2020 to 2021 to fund frontline NHS services. Alongside this, the government expects the NHS to deliver 拢22 billion of efficiency savings to secure the best value from NHS resources and primary care must play its part.
This year, therefore, we have increased the prescription charge by 20 pence from 拢8.80 to 拢9 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 we have frozen the cost of the prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) for another year. The 3-month PPC remains at 拢29.10 and the cost of the annual PPC will stay at 拢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 2019 to 2020 can be found below.
Prescription charges
- Single charge: 拢9
- 3-month PPC (no change): 拢29.10
- 12-month PPC (no change): 拢104
Wigs and fabric supports
- Surgical bra: 拢29.50
- Abdominal or spinal support: 拢44.55
- Stock modacrylic wig: 拢72.80
- Partial human hair wig: 拢192.85
- Full bespoke human hair wig: 拢282