Cost '˜puts patients off their medicine'

A third of people with long-term conditions such as asthma and arthritis who pay for prescriptions have not picked up their medicines due to the cost, research suggests.

A poll of 4,200 people who pay for medicines also found that nearly a third sometimes skip or reduce their recommended doses.

Of these, 43 per cent cite the cost of their prescription as a reason for doing so, and nearly two-thirds say skipping doses has had a negative impact on their health.

A third of those who have missed or reduced their dose have needed extra medical treatment as a result.

Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - but in England most patients are charged £8.60 for each item. A pre-payment certificate costs of £29.10 for three months or £104 for a year.

The new poll was carried out for the Prescription Charges Coalition of more than 40 health charities, which campaigns to abolish prescription charges for those with long-term conditions.

It suggests that 88 per cent of people need on average two or more prescription items a month, and that pre-payment certificates are under-publicised.

Laura Cockram, head of policy and campaigning at Parkinson’s UK, said the charges were costing the NHS more in the long term.

She said: “We’ve heard distressing and alarming experiences from people who are facing impossible choices over whether they should eat, heat their home or pay for essential medications to treat life-threatening conditions.

“It’s a travesty that prescription charges are preventing people from getting the treatment they need. This situation is dangerous and goes against the very principle of our NHS.”

Figures from the coalition suggest the costs of people not being able to afford their medication are likely to be far greater than the estimated £360m to £430m that free prescriptions for working-age people with long-term conditions would cost.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We have made sure that people with long-term conditions can get access to affordable prescriptions. That’s why there are a number of prescription charge exemptions in place and 90 per cent of items prescribed are free on the NHS in England.”