This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Increase in prescription charges
03/03/2005
The Scottish Executive today announced that it was to
raise prescription charges by 10p from 1 April, meaning
that the charge for a single prescription item will be
£6.50.
The increase is the same as the previous six years.
Deputy Health Minister Rhona Brankin said:
"This continues the recent trend of modest increases in
charges, which will help maintain the contribution that
prescriptions make towards the cost of the NHS.
"With a rise of 1.56%, this is the sixth year in a row
in which charges have increased below the rate of
inflation."
The Executive given a commitment, in their Partnership
Agreement, to review prescription charges for people with
chronic health conditions and for young people in full time
education and training.
Ms Brankin said:
"Work on this has begun. There will be a full
consultation in the summer that will seek views on ways
that the charges and exemptions criteria could be
fairer."
Income from prescription charges in 2004-05 is expected
to be around £44 million.
The cost of prescription prepayment certificates will
rise to £33.90 for a four month certificate and £93.20 for
an annual certificate. These offer savings for those
needing more than five items in four months or 14 in one
year.
Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and most
fabric supports supplied through the hospital service will
be increased similarly.
The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental
treatment begun on or after 1 April 2005 will increase from
£378 to £384.
The Executive pledged in the Partnership Agreement to
review prescription charges for people with chronic health
conditions and young people in full time education. The
review began in October last year with a research project.
This will be followed by a full public consultation which
will be based on the outcomes of the research and is
expected to commence later this year.
92 per cent of all prescription items dispensed in
Scotland are dispensed free of charge. Older people,
children under 16, people on low incomes, pregnant women
and nursing mothers will be among those unaffected by this
increase because they receive their prescriptions free of
charge.
The following question was answered today:
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
To ask the Scottish Executive
Rhona Brankin :
We have just laid before the Parliament regulations to
increase prescription and other National Health Service
charges in Scotland from 1 April 2005. There will be a
cash increase in the prescription charges of 10p (1.57%)
from £6.40 to £6.50 for each quantity of a drug or
appliance dispensed.
The cost of a prescription prepayment certificate will
rise to £33.90 for a 4 month certificate and £93.20 for an
annual certificate. These offer savings for people needing
more than 5 items in 4 months or 14 items in a year.
Prescription charges are expected to raise some £44
million for NHSScotland in 2004-05.
Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and most
fabric supports supplied through the hospital service will
be increased similarly.
The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental
treatment begun on or after 1 April 2005 will increase from
£378 to £384.
We have restricted the prescription charge increase to
the same cash amount as the previous 5 years and other
increases are in line with this percentage increase.
In order to provide help with the cost of spectacles or
contact leases to children, people on a low income and
individuals with complex sight problems, optical voucher
values will increase by 2.5%.