Statement On Citizens Advice Press Release 'Prescription Costs Are Barrier To Health', UK

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 28 Feb 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Neil Churchill, Chief Executive of Asthma UK, says: 'People with asthma have consistently told us this is one of the most important issues they want the Government to address and yet the Government has delayed its proposed consultation on reform since Autumn 2007.

'Almost 1.8 million people with asthma currently pay for their prescriptions in England, yet nearly half tell us they find it a struggle to afford them and have to regularly make the decision to not take their medicines. At the same time, people with other long-term conditions receive their treatment free on the NHS. This situation appears to be random and completely unfair.

'Many people are also unaware about how to pay for their prescriptions with a pre-payment certificate, which can help them save money but is poorly publicised in comparison to other Government initiatives such as social security benefits.

'People with asthma who do not take their medicines as prescribed can suffer from life-threatening asthma symptoms, which can lead to frequent emergency hospital visits and is also costly to the NHS. We urge the Government to take action now and reform a system that is unfair, inequitable and unsustainable.'

Notes

1. The annual cost of asthma to the NHS is estimated at over £996 million.

2. Caring for people who experience an asthma attack costs over 3.5 times more than for those whose asthma is well-managed.

3. Asthma UK is one of nine key patient organisations that have lobbied the Government to review the current prescription charges system as a matter of urgency. These organisations include: Arthritis Care, Asthma UK, Breast Cancer Care, Citizens Advice Bureau, We Are Macmillan Cancer Support, Mind, Multiple Sclerosis Society and Parkinson's Disease Society.

4. Paying for prescriptions can be particularly difficult for university students. Asthma UK is currently working with the National Union of Students (NUS) to raise awareness of the importance of continuing to take medicines whilst pursuing further education in order to avoid unplanned emergency hospital admissions.

5. Anyone can purchase a pre-payment certificate at a cost of £87.60 for 12 months or £31.90 for four months, which then covers all prescription charges in the period of the certificate. This can be helpful for heavy prescription users as it effectively caps the cost. However as it requires lump sum payment in advance, it is not a system which is designed to meet the needs of people managing on limited budgets.

Asthma UK