Prescriptions to cost £7.65

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17576096

For how much longer are the folk in England going to put up with the anomaly that they will now have to pay an additional 25p for their prescriptions, making it now £7.65 for each item. while the rest of the UK enjoy free prescriptions?

[jno]

what would you rather pay for instead? Dearer petrol? Beer?

The cost of medicines in a 'free' health service is rather high, but I wonder if the Scots aren't paying too little. But then, perhaps they pay more on haggises?

[rockyracoon]

I'm a a loss to understand this, how do Scotland and Wales afford to do this, how are they financed? I mean are other services lacking because they've spent the money elsewhere?

[anotheoldgit]

Given that it is a 'National' Health Service, I would have thought that all the various services would be the same nationally.

Do you think that the Scots, Welsh or Irish would accept it if England benefited in certain ways when they didn't?

[d9f1c7]

I think I'm the only one that pays it anyway!

[mrs.chappie]

Just you and me then, d9. :o)

I buy a yearly ticket and spread the cost out over the year (obviously) - £10.40 per month.

[Sqad]

90% of prescriptions are free anyway........only 10% are charged, so what is he big deal?

Medicine is an expensive item.

In answer to AOG's question........Health Care in the UK is a Political Tool and there, probably, lies your answer.

[douglas9401]

We see it as a fair trade off against the cash spent on the big sports fortnight and celebrations of people sitting on fancy chairs for sixty years without a break.
As long as you've got yer elf eh?

[boxtops]

The NHS in England and Wales is run completely separately from the NHS in Scotland.

£7.65 per item is very reasonable - OH had a private prescription a while back, it would have cost the prescription charge if the GP had issued it - privately, they wanted £120.

Very few people realise the true cost of drugs and the prescribing budgets are soaring all the time - which is why some drug treatments have to go through special panels for approval. If your medication costs less than £7.65 and can be obtained over the counter (such as hay fever meds, perhaps) then your GP ought to tell you that you don't need a script.

With so many people eligible for free medication one way or another, it's not the majority (I believe) who now have to pay for their scripts.

[anotheoldgit]

Squad

/// 90% of prescriptions are free anyway........only 10% are charged, so what is he big deal? ///

A very big deal if you happen to be one of the 10% who have to pay, I assume.

[Sqad]

boxy...excellent post...............particularly this bit:

\\\\\Very few people realise the true cost of drugs and the prescribing budgets are soaring all the time - which is why some drug treatments have to go through special panels for approval\\\

[237SJ]

I don`t mind paying an additional 25p for a presciption. That`s quite good value compared to what I`ve payed abroad. It does irk me a bit that other parts of the UK get free prescriptions and I don`t. I pay the same taxes so I should get the same service. That`s the NHS though...

[anotheoldgit]

boxtops

/// The NHS in England and Wales is run completely separately from the NHS in Scotland. ///

How is it then that Wales gets free prescriptions also?

/// £7.65 per item is very reasonable - ///

Yes very reasonable considering the real cost of the drugs etc, but nobody is arguing against that, it is the total unfairness in the fact that it is only English patients who have to pay the charge.

Now how can that be fair?

[anotheoldgit]

Not everyone is on Benefits or over 60, to enable them to be included in the 90% who don't have to pay.

There are many on low wages that have to decide whether or not they can afford to take their prescription to the chemist to be dispensed.

All this when we send free drugs and free aid to countries abroad.

[EGTB]

I was surprised on the average net cost (£9.53 in 2010) of the ingredients of prescriptions which has been falling since 200o

But with 927 million prescriptions dispensed in 2010 the cost to to NHS in England would be high to remove the charge . The populations of Wales and Scotland are much lower and the bill to not charge for prescriptions much lower

Extract from Prescriptions Dispensed in the Community; England, Statistics for 2000 to 2010.

The report shows that in 2010:

Nearly 927 million prescription items were dispensed; a 4.6 per cent rise on 2009 and a 67.9 per cent rise on 2000. Total net ingredient cost was £8,834 million; a 3.5 per cent rise on 2009 and a 58.2 per cent rise on 2000.
An average of 17.8 prescription items were dispensed per head of the population; compared to 17.1 in 2009 and 11.2 in 2000. Average net ingredient cost per head in 2010 was £169, compared to £165 in 2009 and £113 in 2000.7
The average net ingredient cost per prescription item was £9.53; compared to £9.64 in 2009 and £10.12 in 2000.

[FredPuli43]

aog, it isn't fair that Wales and Scotland are exempt from this. It's a fair bet that Wales, and Scotland too, are net gainers from taxes paid by residents of England. Whether that is right or not, the reason for this anomaly is that Wales and Scotland are self-governing on some matters and the setting of prescription charges is evidently one. Seems daft to me, but there it is.

[anotheoldgit]

So it appears that England is overcrowded, for us to equally receive free prescriptions.

Perhaps all due to unlimited immigration maybe?

I wonder how long it will be before emigrating from England to one of the other countries in the UK will be financially attractive?

[THECORBYLOON]

Anotheoldgit, the NHS in Scotland has its own budget in the same way that Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) have individual budgets. One PCT in England may fund treatment, therapy or drugs for a particular condition whilst another PCT will not. Each has to have its own priorities and spends its budget according to those priorities.

[douglas9401]

Is there any chance you could send us some yoof that isn't sullen, slouching and with a hateful look in their eyes?
Much obliged.

[FredPuli43]

Why, douglas, have you got enough native sullen youth already, without importing ours?