Prescriptions Charges and Exemptions

The current prescription charge is £9.90 per item.

Prescription charges are for each item not each prescription. For example, if your prescription has 3 medicines on it you will have to pay the prescription charge 3 times.

Some items are always free, including contraception and medicines prescribed for hospital inpatients.

If you know you'll have to pay for a lot of NHS prescriptions, it may be cheaper to buy a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC)

Save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) - NHS

 

NHS charges

The Department of Health & Social Care announced that NHS Prescription charges rose, and it came into effect on 1st May 2024.

The current prescription charge is £9.90 per item.

Some items are always free, including contraception and medicines prescribed for hospital inpatients.

You can save money by buying a NHS Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC). Rather than paying £9.90 for each prescription item, the three and 12-month PPC covers unlimited NHS prescriptions. This offers savings for those who need four or more items in three months, or 12 or more items in 12 months.

There are 3 PPC options:

  • a 3-month PPC costs £32.05 and will save you money if you need more than 3 prescribed items in 3 months
  • a 12-month PPC costs £114.50 and will save you money if you need more than 11 prescribed items in a year
  • a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) PPC costs £19.80 and will save you money if you need more than 2 prescribed qualifying HRT items in a year

Prepayment & Exemption Certification

Save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) - NHS

Please ensure that you keep your pre-payment or exemption cards/certificates up to date. It is your responsibility to ensure they are valid, if you use an expired certificate, you may receive a penalty charge of up to £100.

We do ask that you bring your pre-payment or exemption cards with you when collecting any medication as proof.

If we have not seen your pre-payment or exemption details, you may need to be charged or in the case of exemption be fined by the regulatory authorities if you make a false declaration.