Get the lowdown on upcoming changes
For those who pay for their NHS prescriptions in England, the cost of a single item is set to increase by 20p. From 1st April 2021, the NHS prescription charge will rise from £9.15 to £9.35 per item.
If you are regularly prescribed one or more treatments for an ongoing condition and pay for your NHS prescriptions, a NHS prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) could help save you money.
Save money with a prepayment certificate
A PPC is like a ‘season ticket’, which covers the cost of all your NHS prescription charges for a period of time, for a fixed price.
Currently you can buy a 3 month certificate for £29.65 or save more by choosing a 12 month certificate for £105.90. If you get two items prescribed every month, a 12 month PPC could save you over £100.
However, the price of a three-month prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) will also increase by 60p to £30.25 and a 12-month PPC will increase £2.20 to £108.10, from the 1st April.
How to purchase your PPC
Before purchasing a PPC, first check to make sure you are not entitled to free NHS prescriptions, for example if you’re over 60 or have a condition that entitles you to free NHS prescriptions anyway. You can check this here.
If you need to pay for your prescriptions and would like to buy a PPC, the easiest way to do this is online. The PPC is then valid from the day you place the order and can even be backdated by one month, meaning you can reclaim the cost of any prescriptions that have already been paid for.
With a valid PPC in place, all you need to do is send a picture of your certificate to our customer care team or send a copy in the post, to ensure there is no charge for your NHS prescriptions while the certificate is valid.
