NHS prescription charges have been frozen in England for the first time in three years, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.
The cost of prescriptions will continue to be £9.90 for patients this financial year (2025/26).
Pre-payment certificates (PPC) will also remain frozen, with a three-month PPC costing £32.05, an HRT PPC costing £19.80 and a 12-month PPC being £114.50.
Those exempt from prescription charges will also remain the same, including pregnant women, children under 16 and those over the age of 60. Currently, around 89% of prescriptions in England are dispensed free of charge.
Health secretary Wes Streeting 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.’
Chancellor Rachel Reeves added: ‘We promised to build an NHS fit for the future, and that started with the £26 billion funding boost I delivered at the Budget, to repair and improve the many vital services it provides.
‘Since then, waiting lists are falling, staff are better paid and supported, and today, £18 million has been kept in patient’s pockets by freezing prescription charges – easing the cost of living through our Plan for Change, delivering for all.’
It comes as community pharmacies have received a £3m deal for their 2025/26 contract.
However, NHS bricks and mortar pharmacies have dropped below 10,000 in England.
