NHS prescription charges have gone up again leaving vulnerable people at risk of being unable to afford medicine.  Prescription items are currently £9.15, which is set to go up to £9.35 in England from April 1.  It comes after the price was increased by 15p last year, and 20p in both 2019 and 2018.  The cost was £7.40 ten years ago, in 2011.  From April 1, the price of a three-month prescription will become £30.25 (an increase of 60p) and a 12-month prescription will be £108.10 (an increase of £2.20), according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).  Pharmacy bodies have long called for England to scrap the prescription charge.  Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do not have charges on prescriptions.  Laura Cockram, chairwoman of the Prescription Charges Coalition, said: “By continuing to drive up the cost of prescriptions, the Government is ignoring clear evidence that the charge is a false economy that leaves people unable to afford vital medication, which can then place increased pressure on the NHS through emergency hospital admissions.  “No-one should be forced to choose between eating or heating their home and paying for vital medication.  “At this highly volatile economic time, it is incredibly disappointing that yet again, people with long-term conditions are being penalised by an outdated prescription charges system.”  The coalition called for a review of the Government’s “widely outdated exemption list which was created when some conditions, like HIV, didn’t even exist”.  Ms Cockram added: “It needs to take the time to do this rather than just ploughing on with the price increase so people with long-term conditions like Parkinson’s, asthma and MS, are no longer penalised for having the ‘wrong condition’.” Who is exempt from prescription charges?  You can get free NHS prescriptions if, at the time the prescription is dispensed, you:  Medical exemption certificates are issued if you have:  You're also entitled to free prescriptions if you or your partner (including civil partner) receive, or you're under the age of 20 and the dependant of someone receiving various income support.  Read more about who can get free NHS prescriptions.  Amendments to the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations were laid before Parliament on Tuesday, according to the legislation website page.  Announcing the increase, PSNC Chief Executive Simon Dukes said: “The prescription charge increase is our yearly reminder that the Government mandates community pharmacy teams to be not only clinicians but also tax collectors.  "After the year that pharmacy teams have all experienced, the continued use of front-line healthcare staff for this purpose is unwelcome and inappropriate."  It comes after bodies including PSNC and the British Medical Association (BMA) called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to temporarily remove the charge during the pandemic in April last year.  A Department of Health and Social Ca

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