Prescription charges

Thousands of people with arthritis in Scotland will pay 51% less for their prescriptions from April 1st 2008.

The changes mean the cost of a single prescription item has been lowered from £6.85 to £5 and the cost of a Prescription Pre-payment Certificate (PPC) is £48 for a 12-month period.

Prescription drugs make a crucial difference in limiting pain and disability, enabling a fuller life for many thousands of people with arthritis, and Arthritis Care has long campaigned for the removal of charges for these drugs.

These reductions are the first step towards the abolition of all prescription charges in Scotland under moves introduced by the Scottish Government. Further annual reductions are planned to remove charges altogether by April 1, 2011.

The move will make a significant saving for people who are likely to need large or regular amounts of prescription items throughout the year. People will find it cheaper to buy a PPC if they need more than three prescription items in a four-month period, or more than nine prescription items in 12 months.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “This Government is committed to building a healthier nation through removing the barriers to ill health and reducing prescription charges is a significant step towards achieving this. In particular, the substantial reduction we have announced to the cost of a PPC will make a huge difference to removing the burden for those people with chronic or long-term conditions or who require regular prescriptions.”

Audrey Birt, Chair of the Long Term Conditions Alliance, said: "The Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland (LTCAS) welcomes the beginning of the end of prescription charges for people with long term conditions, most of whom are on several medications or treatments.

“Paying for vital medication adds to the already significant financial burden of living with a long term condition. This leads many, including those on relatively high incomes, to chose between the different medicines they need. “The phased reduction in charges, and in particular the immediate halving in cost of Prescription Pre-payment Certificates, will make a real difference to the lives of Scotland's two million people who live with long term conditions."

For more information about changes to the cost of prescription charges or a PPC, speak to your Community Pharmacist or visit the infoscotland website.