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Politics · Europe

Pharmacists and charities urge England to scrap prescription charges

The National Pharmacy Association and charities are urging England to abolish its £9.90 charge for each NHS prescription item. A survey found that 10% of respondents had gone without medicines because of the cost, while 12% had delayed obtaining them.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 independent reports from 4 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 8 entries
4 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: MixedL 2 · C 2 · R 0
Updat3 graphic: United Kingdom
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • The National Pharmacy Association and charities are calling for prescription charges in England to be scrapped (per aol.co.uk, The Independent).
  • An England survey of 1,781 adults by Savanta for the National Pharmacy Association found that 10% had gone without medicines because of prescription costs (per aol.co.uk).
  • Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said prescription costs should not prevent patients from accessing medicines they need (per aol.co.uk, The Independent).
  • The survey found that 79% of the public consider it unfair that patients in England pay for medication while patients in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not (per The Independent).
  • Phil Day, superintendent pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, said pharmacists had heard patients with multiple one-off medicines on a prescription ask which medicine was most important to take (per The Independent).

The brief

A survey found that 10% of respondents in England had gone without medicines because of prescription costs, while 12% had delayed obtaining them. The National Pharmacy Association and charities are calling for England’s NHS prescription charges to be scrapped; each item currently costs £9.90.

Savanta conducted the poll among 1,781 adults in England for the National Pharmacy Association. The association’s chairman, Olivier Picard, said the findings showed that cost could block access to medicines patients need. He said no patient should face cost as a barrier to obtaining those medicines.

A further finding reported by The Independent is that 79% of the public consider it unfair that patients in England pay for medication while patients in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not. The regional comparison is also reflected in the prescription-charge arrangements: charges were abolished in Wales in 2007, Northern Ireland in 2010 and Scotland in 2011.

The National Pharmacy Association represents around 6,000 community pharmacies. Its campaign has support from charities, including Asthma and Lung UK. The charity’s chief executive, Sarah Sleet, said access to medication should not depend on whether someone with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can afford it.

Pharmacy2U superintendent pharmacist Phil Day said it was concerning that people were going without medication because of prescription costs, particularly those who rely on regular treatment for long-term conditions.

He also described a practical consequence reported by pharmacists: patients with several one-off medicines on a prescription had asked which was most important to take. The findings point to two forms of cost-related disruption: some respondents said they had gone without medicines, while others put off obtaining them.

The figures describe survey responses, rather than a count of all patients who have skipped or delayed treatment. The reports do not give further details about how the poll measured the public’s views on fairness. The campaign’s stated aim is to remove prescription charges in England.

The National Pharmacy Association and the charities make the case in terms of affordability and access, while the survey’s regional comparison highlights that patients elsewhere in the UK do not face the same item charge. No government decision on changing the charge is reported.

Why it matters

  • Adults in England who need NHS medicines face a £9.90 charge per item; in the survey, 10% said they had gone without medicines because of prescription costs.
  • The survey found 12% had delayed obtaining medicines, a separate access problem tied to the same cost mechanism.
  • Patients with long-term conditions, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, may depend on regular medication; Asthma and Lung UK’s chief executive says affordability should not determine whether they can take it.
  • Patients in England pay for medication while those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not, and 79% of the public surveyed considered that difference unfair.

What to watch next

  • Whether the National Pharmacy Association and its charity partners pursue their call to abolish England’s prescription charges.
  • Whether any government announces a decision on the £9.90 charge per prescription item.
  • Whether further survey findings or public statements address the reported 10% who went without medicines and 12% who delayed obtaining them.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
4 source articles · 4 unique outlets · 2 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 2 Left · 2 Center
Where the outlets are based: Europe 75% · US/Canada 25%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
2 outlets
2 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
4 unique outletsDominant coverage: Europe
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in Europe (3 of 4 geographically-identified sources).
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

1 framing difference · 3 uncorroborated claims · 1 information gap
The reports repeat the same account with different emphasis; its central claims are not independently confirmed in the reporting Updat3 read.Compared across 2 reports whose article text Updat3 read.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • The AOL report foregrounds the 10% who said they went without medicines and the campaign by the National Pharmacy Association and charities; The Independent emphasizes the 79% who considered the England charge unfair and adds the account of patients asking which medicine to take.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • Olivier Picard said cost should not prevent patients from accessing medicines they need.
  • Sarah Sleet said people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should not have medication access determined by affordability.
  • Phil Day said patients with multiple one-off medicines had asked pharmacists which was most important to take.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.
Not established by the reporting
Information the available reporting does not contain or confirm. This is a gap, not a disagreement.
  • The reports do not provide the survey’s question wording, fieldwork dates, or detailed methodology beyond the sample size and commissioning information.
Updat3: Updat3 cannot conclude anything about this from the current sources.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Since 1952, therefore, England’s prescription policy has moved between charging and abolition, while the devolved administrations made separate decisions to remove charges.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. The modern charge began under the National Health Service in 1952, when the government introduced a fee for prescriptions.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. The Labour government abolished NHS prescription charges.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. The Labour government reintroduced prescription charges, initially for each item dispensed.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Wales abolished NHS prescription charges.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Northern Ireland abolished NHS prescription charges.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Scotland abolished NHS prescription charges.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. The UK government announced that England’s prescription charge would rise to £9.90 per item from 1 May.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

The immediate backdrop was the April 2024 decision to raise England’s NHS prescription charge to £9.90 per item from 1 May 2024, the first increase since April 2022. The charge remained distinct from policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where NHS prescriptions had become free.

The modern charge began under the National Health Service in 1952, when the government introduced a fee for prescriptions. The Labour government abolished it in 1965, but the Labour government that took office in 1964 reintroduced a charge in 1968, initially applying it to each item dispensed.

Original sources

1 of 4 articles · US/Canada · Show all

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