12 September 2019
Renewed Debate Around Prescription Charges Welcome, Says College
Responding to a pledge by Labour to end prescription charges in England, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:
"We have always been supportive of any safe and sensible measures to reduce medication costs for patients and ensure access to necessary medication is equitable, so it's encouraging to have a renewed debate around a review of prescription charges.
"We fully appreciate the amount that prescription medications cost the NHS every year, and we would always encourage patients to buy over-the-counter or other widely-available treatments where they can to help reduce this. But even though many of our most vulnerable patients are already exempt from standard prescription charges, the fact that fees exist in England means there is real risk that some people might not obtain and take the medication they need."
Further Information
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Notes
The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 53,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.