£9 … price of prescriptions to go up again

THE cost of a prescription is set to rise to £9, the Government has announced.

From April 1, an extra 20p will be added to the current price of £8.80, although the cost of a prescription prepayment certificate – £29.10 for three months or £104 for 12 months – will be frozen.

Lloyd Tingley, of the Prescription Charges Coalition, said the news was ‘extremely disappointing’.

He added: ‘Since 2010, the prescription charge has risen by 26 per cent compared to a rise in average earnings of 16 per cent over the same period.

‘We already know one in three people with long-term conditions do not collect all their essential medication due to cost, which inevitably leads to ill health.’

Sandra Gidley, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, called for free prescriptions in England, adding: ‘No one should be faced with a financial barrier to getting the medicines they need.’