PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges (29 November 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding Parkinson's and other degenerative conditions to the list of medical exemptions from prescription charges.

Asked by:
Navendu Mishra (Labour)

The Department has no plans to extend the list. Our policy on entitlement to help with prescription charges in England is based on the principle that those who can afford to contribute should do so, while those who are likely to have difficulty in paying should be protected.

Extensive arrangements are in already place to help people afford National Health Service prescriptions, including a broad range of exemptions relating to age, income and medical conditions, for which someone with Parkinson’s disease or other degenerative condition may qualify. Approximately 89% of NHS prescription items are dispensed in the community free of charge. To support those who do not qualify for an exemption, the cost of prescriptions can be capped by purchasing a prescription pre-payment certificate, which can be paid for in instalments. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.

Answered by:
Edward Argar (Conservative)
7 December 2021