Thousands Could Save with Prescription ‘Season Ticket’

• Over 800,000 could benefit from a ‘season ticket’
• One-off payment scheme
• Patients are paying more than they need for prescriptions

New data has revealed that hundreds of thousands of patients in England could be paying more than they need for their NHS prescriptions.

The NHS offers a type of prescription ‘season ticket’, which could save you money on your prescriptions each month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ehqsgpPCI

It is called a Payment Prescription Certificate, PPC, and functions in a similar way to a regular season ticket.

You make a one-off payment, for either twelve months or three months, and all prescriptions that you get during this time are then free.

The cost of a twelve month PPC is £104, and a three month one is £29.10.

As prescriptions in the UK are set at a standard price of £8.60, a PPC will save you money if you buy more than thirteen prescriptions each year.

The NHS revealed that over 800,000 people in the UK buy more than thirteen prescriptions a year, and out of these, the average number of prescriptions was eighteen a year.

This means that they could be saving almost £50 a year on prescriptions with a PPC.

A spokesperson for Money Saving Expert, who carried out the research, said, “These stats show that a huge number of patients are paying more than they need to for medicine prescribed on the NHS- and in many cases could save almost £50 in a year.

“While of course not everyone will know from the outset how many prescriptions they’ll need, it’s clear many are missing out on savings.

“The NHS should do whatever it can to publicise this scheme to patients who can use it to pay less.”

The DWP has similarly been criticised for not publicising benefits that part-time carers can get, and for not doing enough to help those with mental health conditions.

A PPC can be bought from the NHS’s website, or from some pharmacists.

Before getting a PPC, you should first check if you are eligible for a free prescription, as this will obviously be a better way to save money.

The NHS Business Services Authority responded to the research, saing, “If no exemption is available on prescription costs, then a PPC is the next best option.

“Healthcare professionalys and pharmacists are actively encouraged to recommend PPCs to patients who might benefit.”

Do you get a PPC? Is it worth it? Let us know in the comments!