Scrapping prescription charges can save money

Mon,21 May 2018
News Equality & Rights

New research by York Health Economics Consortium published 22 May 2018 shows that scrapping prescription charges for people with Parkinson's and inflammatory bowel disease would save the NHS money.

Read it here

Thousands of people tell the Prescription Charges Coalition (PCC) about the impact that prescription charges are having on their lives.

The Coalition is calling on the Government to urgently reform the prescription exemption criteria in England, and make prescriptions free for people living with long term conditions.

Disability Rights UK is a member of the Coalition.

​Sign up to the PCC mailing list if you'd like to get involved.

Sign the petition to scrap prescription charges for people with long-term conditions

Key findings of the report

Key findings show that Scrapping prescription charges for inflammatory bowel disease and Parkinson’s would:      

 Save the NHS:

  • £20.1m for IBD per year – the equivalent of £180 per person with IBD per year
  • £0.8m for Parkinson’s per year – the equivalent of £93 per person with Parkinson’s per year.

 Reduce the number of health complications over 12 months

  • 11% fewer hospital admissions for people with Parkinson’s
  • 20% fewer inpatient days for people with Parkinson’s.
  • 9% fewer A&E visits for people with Parkinson’s.
  • 6,983 fewer flares for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
  • 13 fewer treatments for colorectal cancer for Ulcerative Colitis.
  • 3,796 fewer GP visits for Crohn’s Disease.  

scrapping prescription charges for people with Parkinson's and inflammatory bowel disease would save the NHS money.