The Government has announced all those aged 60 and over will remain eligible for exemption from the NHS prescription charge.

Today’s announcement is the official response to a 2021 public consultation that recommended raising the free prescription threshold to meet the state pension age at age 66. As well as keeping the upper age limit for free prescriptions at the age of 60, the Government confirmed people under 16, or aged 17 and 18 but in full time education, will also continue to be exempt from prescription charges.

The public consultation received over 117,000 responses, the majority of which were opposed to the proposed change. Responses cited, among other issues, cost of living pressures and risk to health of people not taking prescribed medication correctly as reasons for keeping the prescription exemption age where it is.

Whilst the outcome of the consultation is positive news, Community Pharmacy England supports the removal of all NHS prescription charges. The charge places our community pharmacy teams in an impossible position of policing a Government tax that many people cannot afford, whilst the money does not benefit the pharmacies who collect it in any way. Meanwhile, pharmacy funding has been cut in real terms every year.

More at: https://cpe.org.uk/our-news/prescription-charges-remain-free-for-those-aged-60-and-over/