Prescription charges and exemptions
Prescription charges in England
Prescriptions are charged by the item and will cost £7.65 each from April 1st 2012.
If you have an ongoing repeat prescription, a Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) could save you money, especially if you have to pay for more than 3 prescription items in 3 months, or 14 items in 12 months.
The costs are as follows:
Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC)
• 3-month PPC - £29.10
• 12-month PPC - £104.00
See information about how to purchase Prepayment Certificates.
Prescription Exemptions in England
Many people are exempt from paying prescription charges. To qualify for free prescriptions you must be:
• Under 16
• 16 to 18 and in full-time education
• 60 or over
• Pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid exemption certificate
• Have a specified medical condition and a valid exemption certificate
• Have a continuing physical disability which means you cannot go out without help from another person and have a valid exemption certificate.
You will also be exempt from charges if:
• You or your partner gets:
o Income support.
o Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.
o Pension Credit Guarantee Credit.
• You are entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate.
• You are named on a valid HC2 certificate.
• You have a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disablement certificate.
Other free medicines/prescriptions
Some medicines are also supplied free if they are:
• Prescribed contraceptives.
• Administered at a hospital or a NHS Walk in Centre.
• Personally administered by a GP.
• Supplied at a hospital or PCT clinic for the treatment of a sexually transmissible infection (STI).
Your local Co-operative Pharmacy team will be happy to tell you all about exemptions in your area.
Prescription charges in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
There is no prescription charge for prescriptions dispensed in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Prescriptions
• English prescriptions dispensed in Northern Ireland are free.
• Northern Ireland prescriptions dispensed in England are free.
Welsh Prescriptions
You are entitled to free prescriptions in Wales if you are:
• Registered with a Welsh GP and get your prescriptions from a Welsh Pharmacy.
• A Welsh patient with an English GP and an entitlement card who gets their prescriptions from a Welsh pharmacy.
Scottish Prescriptions
Prescriptions ordered in Scotland but dispensed in England are not free. However, if you have a prepayment certificate ordered in Scotland it will still be valid in England.
Private prescriptions
A private prescription service is available at all our branches.
For more details please visit your local Co-operative Pharmacy.
What is a private prescription?
It’s a prescription that’s issued by your doctor, usually after a private consultation. If your doctor issues a private prescription then you’ll need to pay for the actual costs of the drugs you’ve been prescribed.
All branches of the Co-operative Pharmacy are happy to dispense private prescriptions. The price will depend on the cost of your medication and the quantity you’ve been prescribed, but our pharmacy team will be happy to calculate the cost for you – just ask. A minimum charge of £4.50 applies to private prescriptions.
To get a quote, or to get your private prescription dispensed, contact your nearest Co-operative Pharmacy.
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