charges and exemptions
Prescription charges in the UK (Excluding Wales)
Prescriptions are charged by the item and from the 1st April 2008 each item will cost:
- England - £7.20
- Northern Ireland - £6.85
- Scotland - £5.00
If you have an ongoing repeat prescription, a Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) will save you money especially if you have to pay for more than 3 prescription items in 3 months, or 14 items in 12 months.
The costs are as follows:
Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) - Northern Ireland
- 4-month PPC - £35.85
- 12-month PPC - £98.70
Talk to your Co-operative Pharmacist about how you can get a PPC.
Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) - Scotland
- 4-month PPC - £17.00
- 12-month PPC - £48.00
Talk to your Co-operative Pharmacist about how you can get a PPC.
Prescription charges in Wales.
From the 1st April 2007, NHS prescription charges in Wales were abolished.
You are entitled to free prescriptions in Wales if you are:
Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) - Northern Ireland
- Registered with a Welsh GP and get your prescriptions from a Welsh Pharmacy
- A Welsh patient with an English GP and an entitlement card and you get your prescriptions from a Welsh pharmacy
Prescription Exemptions in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Many people are exempt from paying prescription charges. To qualify for free prescriptions you must be:
- Under 16
- 16 to 18 and in full-time education
- 60 or over
- Pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid exemption certificate
- Have a specified medical condition and a valid exemption certificate
- Have a continuing physical disability which means you cannot go out without help from another person and have a valid exemption certificate
You will also be exempt from charges if:
- You or your partner gets:
- Income support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- You are entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate
- You are named on a valid HC2 certificate
- You are a war pensioner, the prescription is for your accepted disablement and you have a valid war pension exemption certificate
Other free medicines/prescriptions
Some medicines are also supplied free if they are:
- Prescribed contraceptives
- Administered at a hospital or a NHS Walk in Centre
- Personally administered by a GP
- Supplied at a hospital or PCT clinic for the treatment of a sexually transmissible infection
Your local Co-operative Pharmacy team will be happy to tell you all about exemptions in your area.