The cost of a single prescription will remain at £9.90 and will see patients save £18m, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
As well as prices remaining under £10 for a single charge, everyone who qualifies for an exemption will also continue to do so for the 2025/26 financial year.
The exemptions are for children under 16 years old and those still in full-time education up to the age of 18. Services are also free for people aged over 60 or if you’ve given birth within the last 12 months.
You do not need to worry about the price of prescriptions if you are receiving benefits like Universal Credit, although there are requirements that come with this that you will need to check.
Further free medical care comes if you have a medical condition covered by an exemption certificate, which is issued if you have cancer or diabetes. Also, three-month prescriptions and annual prepayment certificates will stay at their £32.05 and £114.50 respective rates.
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Last May, charges for NHS services rose by 2.59%, while a prescription payment certificate (PPC) for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) rose by more than the standard rate to £19.80.
This service will also remain at the same cost for the next 12 months.
The more expensive NHS services of fabric support will see a price freeze too, including surgical brasserie (£32.50) and abdominal or spinal support (£49.05).
Meanwhile, the range of wigs provided will continue to cost the same amount this year, with stock modacrylic, partial human hair and full bespoke human hair to cost £80.15, £212.35 and £310.55 respectively.
‘Money back into the pockets of millions’
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: “This Government’s Plan for Change will always put working people first, and our moves today to freeze prescription charges will put money back into the pockets of millions of patients.
“Fixing our NHS will be a long road – but by working closer with our pharmacies, we’re saving money and shifting care to the community where it’s closer to your home.
“We made the difficult but necessary choices at the Budget to fund moves like this and change our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it.”
Jonathan Blades, head of policy at Asthma and Lung UK, said: “The freezing of prescription charges is a welcome first step and will provide some short-term relief for people with lung conditions during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
“Living with a long-term lung condition like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is expensive and rising prescription costs only make it harder for people to manage their condition and stay well.”
