Costly prescriptions leave medication uncollected

33 per cent of people with chronic illness have not collected a prescription due to the cost, a new report shows.

A report by the Prescription Charges Coalition has shown that a third among those living in England with long-term conditions paying for their prescriptions have not collected their medication due to the cost.

Still Paying the Price also shows that among those suffering with long-term illnesses 88 per cent require two or more prescriptions a month on average, and, of the 30 per cent who often skip or reduce their recommended doses of medication, 43 per cent cite the cost of their prescription as the reason for doing so.

Over half of those who skip or reduce their doses have experienced negative health outcomes as a result, and of these 50 per cent report having to take time off work.

The report also shows that the Prescription Prepayment Certificate remains under-publicised, with only 40 per cent of those who are aware of it having to wait more than a year after diagnosis to be told about it.

Only 8 per cent learned about the certificate from their GP or consultant.

The Prescription Charges Coalition’s recommendations for the government include extending prescription charge exemptions to all those with a long-term condition, and providing information about prescription charge entitlements to all those with a long-term illness at diagnosis.