The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that the NHS prescription charge will not be increased in 2022.
The NHS prescription charge is reviewed annually with changes usually made in April, but this year the Government has has confirmed the charges will not be increased in 2022.
In a written Parliamentary response, published on 22 March 2022, Edward Argar, the health minister, said: “Prescription charges will not be uplifted on 1 April 2022. There is currently no planned announcement on any future increase.” Argar was responding to a question on prescription charges by shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry.
In summary:
- For prescriptions dispensed from April 2022, NHS prescription charges will remain at £9.35 per item.
- The cost of Prescription Pre-payment Certificates (PPCs) will also remain unchanged for April 2022.
- People aged 60 and over do not pay prescription charges at the current time, though the introduction of charges for the over-60s in-line with extended retirement ages could be introduced at a future date.
