Save Money With A Prepayment Prescription Card (PPC)
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If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a condition that requires lots of medication you may be worried about NHS Prescription Charges – Could you save with a prepayment prescription card?
Save Money With A Prepayment Prescription Card
Prepayment Prescription Card/Certificate
The NHS Prescription Prepayment Card / Certificate is a great way to save money if you take a lot of medication and need a lot of prescriptions. If you have more than one prescription each month it will save you money over the course of the year.
Simply set up a direct debit and the money is taken over ten months of the year – it’s just £10.40 a month.
It also auto-renews so you won’t ever be without it unless you choose to cancel. It covers all NHS prescriptions – so can be used even if you need antibiotics for something like a dental abscess or chest infection that isn’t on your usual repeat prescription.
You can also have it for a shorter term – for example, if you need medication after an operation but won’t be taking it permanently.
It seems very few people know about the prepayment prescription card/certificate – my Dad works at a hospital and some of the nurses he spoke to had never heard of it.
He’s also seen pharmacy assistants who were unaware of it and had to have the certificate verified by the pharmacist.
Medical Exemption Certificate
Some medical conditions allow you to get your prescriptions for free – you find a full copy of the list here. It includes things like diabetes and epilepsy which require continued ongoing medical treatment.
It does NOT include Asthma (I think it should, but that’s another argument for another day!)
My mum has diabetes which is controlled with metformin.
Luckily she already had a check-up booked when she found she was no longer entitled to the usual exemption certificate and after discussing with the nurse she was able to get a new certificate that lasts for five years.
However, this certificate does not help with the cost of dental treatment which is probably one of the most expensive things as dental costs could easily run into the hundreds over a year. And that’s if you can find an NHS dentist to begin with.
Age, Pregnancy & Low Income
There are also other factors that can contribute to whether or not you are entitled to free prescriptions and other NHS treatments.
If you are pregnant or have given birth in the last 12 months, you should get:
- free NHS dental treatment
- free NHS prescriptions if you have a valid maternity exemption certificate
A maternity exemption certificate:
- entitles you to free prescriptions
- proves your entitlement to free NHS dental treatment
- is valid for 12 months after your baby’s date of birth
Once Aged 60+ you could get
- Free Prescriptions
- Free eye tests
- Help with Dental Cost
Age UK has a fantastic post that explains everything in much more detail here.
If none of the above applies but you are still struggling with the cost of prescriptions, eye tests and dental treatment you can apply for help from the NHS Low Income Scheme.
This is for people who earn too much for the usual exemption certificate but still need help with costs because of high outgoings. Your monthly outgoings will be assessed along with your income and any savings and investments you may have.
This is a great article with very good info.