PM Announcement That Prescription Charge Exemptions Will Be Extended - NPA Reaction

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 25 Sep 2008 - 4:00 PDT


Commenting on the Prime Minister's announcement at the Labour Party conference about extending prescription charge exemptions to people with cancer in April 2009 and eventually to all people with long term conditions, John Turk, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said:

"The NPA has long called for a review of prescription charges and we are pleased to see this is now underway. The current arrangements are inequitable and inconsistent, and we hope that a fairer system will arise from the Prime Minister's commitment to reform.

It will be important that any subsequent increases in prescription volume are factored in to the ongoing discussions between pharmacy and Government.

We welcome the Prime Minister's focus on improving the value from prescribed medicines. Services such as Medicines Use Review and repeat dispensing are tried and tested ways of getting the most out of medicines.

There are many other ways to offset the cost of any changes. In particular, I was pleased to hear the Prime Minister reaffirm in the same speech his commitment to the vascular risk management programme where real and sustainable savings may be obtained - through preventing illness and the associated human and financial costs. The NPA will play a major part in gearing up community pharmacy for a central role in this programme."

Notes

During the annual Labour party conference, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that from April 2009 cancer patients will be exempted from needing to pay the prescription charge and that there will be a gradual phasing out of prescription charges for all patients who are suffering from a long-term medical condition.

No definite timetable was scheduled for when other long-term clinical conditions would be exempted and the applicable long-term clinical conditions are still subject to consultation.

National Pharmacy Association

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