Prescription charges to rise in April

The government has announced that prescription charges will rise by 10p from April 1 in England.

The increase will take the price of a single prescription item to £6.50. The cost of prescription prepayment certificates will also rise – by 50p for a four-month certificate (£33.90) and by £1.40 for a twelve-month certificate (£93.20).

Dental treatment charges will also increase – from £378 to £384 for a single course of treatment.

The prescription charge increases are expected to raise £452 million for the NHS in 2005-2006.

Commenting on the rise, Health Minister Rosie Winterton said: "We have held the increase to 10 pence for the seventh consecutive year, well below the rate of inflation to ensure that people can get the prescriptions they need, at prices they can afford. Through our extensive exemption arrangements, 86 per cent of prescription items are dispensed free, with another 5 per cent dispensed to people with prepayment certificates at no additional charge."

Around fifty per cent of the population are entitled to free prescriptions, including the over-sixties, under-sixteens and those on benefits such as Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance.

The government also plans to help those on low incomes with complex sight problems with the cost of glasses or contact lenses by raising the value of optical voucher values by 2.5%.

The Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley was reported as saying: "From the government that brought you the promise of free healthcare and accused the Conservatives of wanting to introduce charges, comes this announcement of higher NHS charges."

(KMcA/SP)