Many of our adult members have prescriptions for medicines, catheters and / or stoma bags every month. With the prescription charges in England now at £9 per item, these can really add up. Prescriptions in Wales are free for all, but England has a complex set of charge exemption criteria.
For more information on who can get help with prescription charges see:
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/get-help-with-prescription-costs
The NHS has a useful tool for checking whether you need to pay, see:
https://services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check-for-help-paying-nhs-costs/start
If you have:
For exemption on medical grounds, you will need to apply for a MedEx form. For information about who qualifies and how to apply for medical exemption see: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/exemption-certificates/medical-exemption-certificates
For people with qualifying conditions, all your prescriptions will be free, not just those connected with your long-term condition. Shine believes everyone with long-term health conditions needing frequent prescriptions in order to stay well should be exempt, and are members of the Prescription Charges Coalition, which campaigns to end this inequality. Read more at: http://www.prescriptionchargescoalition.org.uk
Having spina bifida or hydrocephalus does not automatically qualify you for free prescriptions, and the NHS are fining people who claim they don’t need to pay when they should.
If you need to pay for your prescriptions, and have two items or more per month, a Prescription Prepayment Certificate could save you money. You can prepay for 3 months (£29.10) or 12 months (£104, or 10 Direct Debit Payments or £10.40 per month), and this will cover the cost of all your prescriptions during this time.
