Ahead of the prescription charge rise in England tomorrow, increasing from £9.65 to £9.90 per item, Tase Oputu, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, said:

“This is a dark day for patients who will now have to pay nearly £10 for each item on their prescription.

"Amid the cost of living crisis, the rise in prescription charges will hit working people on low incomes the hardest. The relentless annual increase in the prescription charge is making medicines unaffordable for many. This is totally unacceptable. You can, it seems, put a price on health.

“Every day pharmacists are asked by patients who are unable to afford all the items in their prescription which ones they can 'do without'. No-one should face a financial barrier to getting the medicines they need to keep them well.

“As the Government looks to reduce spending on benefits, medicines play a crucial role in helping people stay healthy and in work.

“Prescription charges should be scrapped in England, as they have been in the rest of the UK.”

Read our policy on prescription charges.

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