Free Prescription Charges for English Patients

From April 1st 2011 prescription charges for English patients increased to £7.40 for a single item. At the same time, Scotland scrapped the charge completely, joining Wales and Northern Ireland in providing free prescriptions for its residents.

This iniquitous arrangement is simply unfair.

While there is an argument that lost revenue and a potential drop in over the counter sales may impact upon budgets, this needs to be balanced against a greater number of people receiving the right medication at the right time, thus avoiding an unnecessary escalation of the respective condition which may result in hospital admission and extensive treatment.

Access to the NHS should be free at the point of delivery and no one should be deterred from obtaining necessary medication on the grounds of cost.