NHS prescription charges will be frozen for the first time in three years, the government has announced.
This means the cost of a prescription will be kept below £10.
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The cost of three-month and annual prescriptions prepayment certificates will also be frozen for 2025/26.
Secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting, said the prescription freeze will ‘put money back into the pockets’ of many patients, but warned that ‘fixing our NHS will be a long road’.
‘We made the difficult but necessary choices at the Budget to fund moves like this and change our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it,’ he added.
Around 89% of prescriptions in England are dispensed free of charge for those who are eligible.
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Jonathan Blades, head of policy at charity Asthma + Lung UK said the freeze was a ‘welcome first step,’ particularly during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
‘Living with a long-term lung condition like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is expensive and rising prescription costs only make it harder for people to manage their condition and stay well,’ he commented.
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Last month, the government increased funding for community pharmacies in England to £617m to £3.073bn for 2025/26.
