Pharmacists have warned that tomorrow will be a “dark day” for patients as the cost of an NHS prescription rises to almost £10.
They described the increase from £9.65 to £9.90 as a “tax on the working poor” and fear people will be forced to miss out on medicines because of the price.
It comes as new figures show chemists are easing pressure on GPs by successfully treating nine in ten patients seeking care under the NHS’s new Pharmacy First scheme.
The Company Chemists Association, which represents big chemists such as Boots and Superdrug, says its members alone have made more than 90,000 queries in the two months since its launch.
Of those, 88 per cent were eligible to receive NHS-funded care through the service, freeing up GP appointments for people with more serious illnesses.
Patients in England will be forced, from April 1, to pay an additional 25 pence to collect their medicines from the pharmacy. Pharmacists described the increase as a “tax on the working poor” and fear people will be forced to stop receiving medicines because of the price.
The 12-month NHS prescription prepaid certificate, which covers all NHS prescriptions for one fixed price, will also rise from £111.60 to £114.50 tomorrow.
Meanwhile, prescriptions remain free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Tase Oputu, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of England, said: ‘This is a dark day for patients who will now have to pay almost £10 for each item on their prescription.’
Amid the cost of living crisis, rising prescription drug costs will hit low-income workers hardest.
‘The relentless annual rise in prescription prices makes medicines unaffordable for many people. This is totally unacceptable.
«It seems that you can put a price on health.
‘Every day, patients who cannot afford all the items in their prescription ask pharmacists which ones they can ‘do without.’
‘No one should face a financial barrier to getting the medications they need to stay healthy.
“Prescription charges should be scrapped in England, as they have been in the rest of the UK.”
Nick Kaye, president of the National Pharmacy Association, said: ‘Allowing the price of prescription drugs to rise to this level is a shameful neglect of workers on low, fixed incomes, who are not exempt.
‘Many people already choose not to pick up some or all of their prescription medications due to cost, with potentially dire health consequences.
“This is a tax on the working poor that deepens the cost of living crisis for them.”
Prescriptions are free for certain groups of people, including children, people over 60, pregnant women, people receiving certain benefits, and people with certain medical conditions.
But the Prescription Fee Coalition, an alliance of more than 50 organisations, has called for an urgent review of the list of prescription fee exemptions.
The coalition said the list of exemptions has remained relatively unchanged over the past 50 years and does not include many life-altering conditions, such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, cystic fibrosis, HIV and asthma.
Laura Cockram, head of campaigns at Parkinson’s UK and chair of the coalition, said: “The rising price of NHS prescription drugs has instilled fear in people living with long-term health problems such as Parkinson’s.”
‘People are already struggling financially due to the cost of living crisis, and the rising cost of prescriptions will cause more people to skip, reduce or delay taking their medication, meaning their condition will deteriorate.
‘The financial support charities can offer to compensate for government shortcomings is limited.
Under NHS plans to free up millions of GP appointments, pharmacists can now hand out contraceptive pills to women. High street pharmacists also have powers to dispense prescriptions for common ailments, meaning patients battling minor illnesses can avoid their GP. Under broader plans, pharmacists are also offering more blood pressure checks to at-risk patients, with a pledge to do 2.5 million a year by spring 2025.
“That is why we are calling on the UK Government to freeze the charge in 2025 and commit to urgently reviewing the list of prescription drug charge exemptions.”
In the first month, more than 90 percent of eligible patients received the care they needed through Pharmacy First, without the need for further referrals, the CCA said.
And a medication was supplied in 75 per cent of consultations, the trade body added, showing that community pharmacies can often be the first port of call for patients with one of the seven common conditions for which they are allowed prescribe.
These are: ear pain, impetigo, infected insect bites, shingles, sinusitis, sore throat and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.
Malcolm Harrison, CCA chief executive, said: “The Pharmacy First service continues to show immense promise, providing access to NHS care when and where patients need it.”
“While early signs are promising, we need GPs to receive targeted support to refer more patients to Pharmacy First and more targeted, high-quality engagement campaigns to increase public awareness.”
However, the Independent Pharmacy Association, which represents smaller businesses, said its members find the scheme time-consuming and warn it underpays them.
About 72 percent of the 2,133 pharmacies surveyed reported that time spent in service had “reduced their ability to provide other pharmaceutical services and activities.”
Nearly half (44 percent) said consultations lasted 20 minutes on average, and 10 percent said they took 30 minutes or more.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the IPA, said: “It is clear that pharmacies have got behind this service to support the NHS, but more needs to be done to get Pharmacy First to the point where it is operating as intended.”
«Separating pharmacists from their other tasks, when they are already overworked, is worrying, as is the lack of funding.
‘If the government is not careful, Pharmacy First will simply increase the pressure on beleaguered pharmacies and lead to more closures. Requires urgent reassessment.”
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘Pharmacy First will provide patients with quick and easy access to support for common conditions through their main pharmacy.
‘The NHS has run an extensive advertising campaign on television, social media and public spaces about the support patients can now receive from their pharmacist.
“You can also find out more by visiting the NHS website or speaking to your local pharmacist.”