As many of you will know, on 1st April 2016, the cost of prescriptions in England is increasing to £8.40 per item. For many people with Parkinson’s, this will have a serious financial impact.
We don't believe it's fair that people with certain conditions get free prescriptions, while others (including Parkinson's) don't. We believe everyone with a long term condition should get their medication for free.
The Policy and Campaigns team are tackling this issue by asking the Government to make people with Parkinson's exempt from paying for their prescriptions. In order to make this case as powerful as possible we need examples of how prescription charges affect people.
Do you struggled to afford your medication?
Have you ever skipped taking some of your medication because you couldn't afford your next prescription? If so, tell us the consequences.
We know that 1 in 3 people in England with a long-term condition have not collected items due to the cost, and many cut down their dosage to save money. It’s clear this has an impact on their quality of life, and often the results to their health can be extreme.
Share your story and help us improve the current system.
My wife has a pre-payment certificate which cost £109 pounds per year, but i agree that anyone with a long term illness including Parkinsons should not have to pay.My wife is 60 in November then they will be free.
Good luck! I agree that people like us shouldn't be penalised even more. Fortunately for me, I'm over 60 so I'm exempt. I used to have a pre payment certificate and made a worthwhile saving.
you can go to you gp ask for apply medical exemption certificate well ask someone else to pick up ! then on paper tick bit what says unable to pick medication up due to severe disability says something like that then hand back to gp they will sign and then you get a card for 5 yrs .you not lying as on your worse day you would not be able to perform easy tasks .this covers meds,dentist,helps with eye wear
I have a med certificate because of epilepsy but quite surprised you cant get one for parkinsons. From what I,ve read the medication is a lot more confusing with so many different meds sometimes being taken in combination. It is also just as important to get the timing right and not miss any to be able to cope. It is a lot more complicated to manage than epilepsy so surely should be also free. I know before I had the med certificate I would not keep up with medication, especially when the pennies were tight, I also have asthma and ended up having to have my lungs drained, so I can see this being a problem. I hope that this situation can be resolved.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. We agree, it seems strange that Parkinson's is not on the medical exemption list. It sounds like you had to pay for your asthma medication before you got your medical exemption for epilepsy? That's a great illustration of how the system can really penalise you depending on which condition you have. If you'd be willing to have more of a chat about it feel free to email [email protected]
