IAN GOWLAND/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
The government has announced that prescription charges in England are to be frozen for the first time in three years.
In a statement published on 28 April 2025, the government announced that the prescription charge for 2025/2026 will remain at £9.90 per item, a three-month prescription prepayment certificate will be frozen at £32.05, and a 12-month certificate will stay at £114.50.
Prescription fees were most recently frozen in 2022, which at that point was the first time in a decade.
In its statement, the government said that around 89% of prescriptions in England are already dispensed free of charge to children, patients aged over 60 years, pregnant women and those with certain medical conditions.
Commenting on the announcement, Tase Oputu, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society English Pharmacy Board, said: “This is a welcome pause in the otherwise relentless rise of the prescription charge for patients. No one should face a financial barrier to get the medicines they need to stay well.
“Pharmacists tell us they regularly see patients going without essential, life-saving medicines because they can’t afford all the items they’ve been prescribed.
“Millions of pounds are spent each year policing a complex prescription charges system that puts avoidable strain on patients and pharmacy teams alike. I hope the government can build on today’s announcement, listen to the concerns of patients and health professionals and bring about an end to unaffordable prescription charges in England.”
Nick Kaye, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “It is good news for patients and pharmacies that the government has taken the step to freeze the prescription charge today for the first time in three years.
“However, we’ve long called for the prescription charge to be scrapped, which acts as a barrier to some patients accessing vital medication, and this is something we’d urge the government to work towards.”
