NHS prescription charges frozen for 2025-26

News - 6 May 2025

NHS prescription charges in England will be frozen for the first time in 3 years, keeping the cost of a prescription below ten pounds.

The government has announced that NHS prescription charges would not go up this financial year.

 

This is a welcome move, especially as our national Partners Healthwatch England had highlighted to government that some people chose not to pick up all their prescriptions due to cost-of-living pressures. 

 

In an overdue decision (usually confirmed in March), the Department of Health and Social Care said:

 

• the single NHS prescription charge would remain at £9.90

• the three month pre-payment certificate (PPC) will stay at £32.05

• the annual PPC is held at £114.50

• the annual HRT PPC is also frozen, at 19.80.

 

All of the exemption groups and all of the wigs and fabric support charges also stay the same.

 

The decision differs from the approach to NHS dentistry charges, which went up on average by 2.3% from 1 April.

There are other ways members of the public can save on prescription costs via the Help with NHS Prescription Costs webpage on the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website.

Click here for help with NHS prescription costs