Chancellor John Healey is set to announce today that NHS prescription charges in England will stay frozen for a third consecutive year, keeping the cost at £9.90 for pharmacy collections starting in May 2027.
Activists have long labelled the fee required for medications such as asthma inhalers and blood thinners an "unfair tax on health". England remains the sole UK nation retaining these fees, as Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland eliminated them over ten years ago.
The initial freeze occurred in 2025 to alleviate cost of living pressures. Before this, fees rose from £8.80 in 2018 to £9.65 in 2023.
Mr Healey plans to reveal the freeze during his budget address this afternoon. He previously stated he would provide "breathing space for today and fresh hope for the future". Additional announcements will cover household bills, business taxes, and aid for self-employed workers.
According to Mr Healey, his actions target navigating current difficulties while directing investments into technology and housing, alongside transferring fiscal authority from Whitehall to regional mayors.
Treasury costs for the previous prescription freeze reached £15illionm during last year's budget, stopping a yearly rise of about 20p. The planned 2027 freeze keeps items at £9.90, while pre-payment certificates for three months and one year will also stay unchanged.
Three-month pre-payment certificates will stay at £32.05, and 12-month versions will hold steady at £114.50. Hormone replacement therapy certificate prices are also frozen.
English patients have limited fee exemptions, covering individuals aged 16 to 18 in full-time education and adults turning 60. Contraceptives remain nearly always free. Prescription fees bring in roughly £600million annually to fund NHS services in England.
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