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The government is considering raising the qualifying age for free prescriptions from 60 to 65, something the Royal Pharmaceutical Society says will lead to poorer health, increased time off work and a potential rise in hospital admissions.
MPs debated the proposal in parliament following a petition, signed by just under 46,500 people, which called to protect free NHS prescriptions for everyone over the age of 60.
The Department of Health and Social Care says increasing the upper age limit for free prescriptions would result in “a transfer of resources from people to the NHS.”
“These funds could then be spent on improving services for patients, resulting in health benefits for wider society,” it says.
Cost of living crisis has caused a spike in people not collecting prescriptions
But a recent survey by the RPS found that one in two pharmacists say they’ve seen an increase in the last six months in patients asking them which medicines on their prescription they can ‘do without’ due to affordability issues.
The same number said they had seen a rise in people not collecting their prescription, whilst two in three said they have been increasingly asked whether there was a cheaper, over-the-counter substitute for the medicine they had been prescribed.
The government says 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge, and extensive arrangements are in place to help those most in need. This includes help for people on a low income and exemptions for those in receipt of a war pension, pregnant women (and those who have recently given birth), and those who have a qualifying medical condition.
But the RPS says prescription charges are an “unfair tax on health” and should be abolished, as they have been in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“It is a worry for patients, a distraction for health professionals and drives inequality across the UK,” says Chair of the RPS in England Thorrun Govind.
Reducing prescription accessibility could cost the NHS more money
During the debate, MPs across various political parties warned that people should not have to make choices about their health based on the ability to pay.
Taiwo Owatemi MP, who is also Chair of the Pharmacy APPG, said, “I have seen first-hand the difference that free access to medication makes to those over the age of 60. For years, I have treated patients whom the prescription proposals will make worse off. I know just how anxious they are at the prospect of having to fork out another monthly expense that they simply cannot afford.”
Tonia Antoniazzi MP, who led the debate, highlighted the work of the Prescription Charges Coalition as well as research by York Health Economics Consortium which showed that ending prescription charges for long-term conditions could save money and reduce pressure on the NHS.
Shadow Health Minister Andrew Gwynne MP echoed this sentiment, saying that people on lower incomes may struggle to afford all their prescriptions, which can lead to people prioritising certain medications. This can cause “future health problems for the individual and a subsequent cost to the NHS,” he said.
The government has not yet made a decision about whether to raise the age for free prescriptions and continues to weigh up the arguments presented in the debate.