Summary
A survey of over 4,000 people with long-term conditions on prescription charges has found the charge is a barrier to accessing medicine.
The findings come following the UK government's announcement that the prescription charge will rise on 1 April 2023.
Content
The Prescription Charges Coalition, which brings together around 50 organisations and professional bodies to campaign to scrap prescription charges in England for people with long-term conditions, conducted the survey between February and March.
It found:
- Nearly 1 in 10 people have skipped medication in the past year due to the cost of prescriptions. Of this group:
- Almost a third (30%) of those who have missed medication now have other physical health problems in addition to their original health condition.
- 37% now have other mental health problems in addition to their original health condition.
- And over half (53%) have had to take time off work as a result of worsening health.
- 12% of people who pay for their NHS prescription have cut medication in half to make it last longer.
- Over a third (35%) of survey respondents reported they had the duration of their prescription changed, meaning they’re paying more frequently for their medicines.
- Almost 2 in 5 (38%) people with long-term health conditions only learned about the prepayment certificate more than a year after their diagnosis.
The survey shows that people with long-term health conditions that cannot afford their medication are seeing an increase in GP visits, trips to accident and emergency (A&E), and hospital stays. Some survey respondents reported they had to stay in hospital for up to 6 weeks. Not being able to afford medicine has also led to mental health is sues and increased time off work.
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