1 week Ago By [email protected] (Ashley Cowburn)
NHS prescription charges in England will be frozen for the first time in three years - keeping the cost below a tenner. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the move will "put money back into the pockets of millions of patients" with £18million in savings. The current charge for a prescription is £9.
90 after a hike of around 2.6% last year but this year the cost will be frozen, the government said. Around 89% of prescriptions are already handed out free of charge to certain groups including children and pregnant women - but the freeze will help those regularly paying for medicine.
The Department of Health and Social Care also said three month and annual prescription prepayment certificates will be frozen for 2025/26. Mr Streeting said: "This government’s plan for change will always put working people first, and our moves today to freeze prescription charges will put money back into the pockets of millions of patients. Be the first with news from Mirror Politics BLUESKY: Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here .
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PODCAST: And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell , hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. “Fixing our NHS will be a long road – but by working closer with our pharmacies we’re saving money and shifting care to the community where it’s closer to your home. We made the difficult but necessary choices at the Budget to fund moves like this and change our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it.
” Chancellor Rachel Reeves added: “We promised to build an NHS fit for the future, and that started with the £26 billion funding boost I delivered at the Budget, to repair and improve the many vital services it provides. “Since then, waiting lists are falling, staff are better paid and supported, and today, £18 million has been kept in patient’s pockets by freezing prescription charges – easing the cost of living through our Plan for Change, delivering for all.”.
