Prescription charge to increase to £7.10 per item from 1st A

[News Feeder14]

The Department of Health has issued a press release announcing that prescription charge increases will stay below the rate of inflation.The increase will mean 25p on prescription charges in England, taking the charge for a single prescription item to £7.10 from 1 April 2008.

In 2006, less than 7 per cent of prescription items dispensed in the community in England were charged to patients at the point of dispensing, with a further 5 per cent of items dispensed to patients who had brought prepayment certificates.

It has also been confirmed that NHS dental charges will increase by less than the current rate of inflation. For the simplest and most common visits to the dentist, involving an examination, advice and any necessary x-rays or scale and polish, the charge will go up by 30p to £16.20 from 1 April 2008. The range of NHS optical vouchers available for children, people on low incomes, and those who need complex lenses to help with the cost of purchasing glasses will increase by an average of 2.7 per cent from 1 April 2008.

A statement from the Chairman of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain’s English Pharmacy Board (EPB) has urges a review of English prescription charges (see link above).
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