Prescription Charges: Up for debate 

13 March 2024

For the first time in nearly 2 years, a debate was held in Parliament in response to the petition called to review prescription charges for people with chronic or long-term health conditions. 

On 11 March 2024, a debate was held in Westminster Hall to discuss a petition relating to prescription charges for people with chronic or long-term health conditions. The debate was chaired by Tonia Antoniazzi, MP for Gower. 

The debate lasted for just over an hour. Many stories were shared regarding people’s difficulty in paying for prescriptions and the reasons why it was felt the medical exemption list, created in 1968, should be amended. 

It was called for the Government to consider scrapping the charges, in line with the other three home nations, or to consider updating the medical exemption list. 

Dame Andrea Leadsom, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, responded on behalf of the Government. It was confirmed that this Government has no plans to extend the list of conditions on the medical exemption list. 

NRAS is part of the Prescription Charges Coalition and will continue to urge the government to scrap prescription charges for people with long term health conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

If you’re struggling to pay for your prescription costs, please see our related articles below including how to get a Prescription Prepayment Certificate which can help reduce the costs of your prescription medication. 

If you have an experience you would like to share relating to prescription charges or would like to support this campaign, please email our campaigns team, campaigns@nras.org.uk with the message subject ‘NRAS prescription charges campaign’.