Dartford MP, Dr Howard Stoate, the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Asthma Group, has given his backing to a campaign calling on the Government to meet its promise to abolish prescription charges for people with long-term conditions.

Although Gordon Brown, promised to abolish charges for people with long-term conditions in his speech to the Labour Party Conference back in October 2008, a final date for their removal has yet to be set.

Dr Stoate, who is also a practising GP, has supported the ‘Prescription Promise’ campaign by signing up to a new Parliamentary motion on prescription charges for people with long-term conditions. The motion calls on Ministers to publish their review of prescription charges as soon as possible and set a clear timetable for the implementation of Gordon Brown’s promise.

The ‘Prescription Promise’ campaign is led by a coalition of twenty health charities, who represent the voices of millions of people with long-term conditions.

Dr Stoate MP said; ‘I’m concerned about the number of people with long-term conditions in my constituency who may be choosing to go without vital medicines as a result of the recession and the rising costs of fuel and other bills. Gordon Brown was right to promise free prescriptions for people with long-term conditions, but he must now follow through and implement this promise as soon as possible’

Members of the public who would like to sign the ‘Prescription Promise’ campaign’s petition can do so at prescriptionpromise.org

Notes

1. EDM 306: Free prescriptions for people with long-term conditions states: That this House supports the Prescription Promise Campaign in urging the Prime Minister to implement his promise, made in September 2008, to abolish prescription charges for people with long-term conditions as soon as possible; believes that timely access to appropriate medication is crucial to minimise the impact of living with a long-term condition for the individual and cost of treating long-term conditions for the NHS; is therefore concerned that the recession has made it harder for large numbers of people with long-term conditions to pay for their prescriptions and many are going without vital medicines; notes that the Government has identified savings from the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme of around £550 million per year from 2010 which will be more than sufficient to cover the £250-350 million cost, estimated by the Department of Health, of implementing free prescriptions for people with long-term conditions; notes with concern that Professor Ian Gilmore’s review of prescription charges has not yet been published; and calls on the Government to publish this review and its response as soon as possible.

2. The Prescription Charges Coalition, established in 2006, is made up of the following 20 organisations representing a wide range of long-term conditions: Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group, Arthritis Care, Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, Asthma UK, Behcets Syndrome Society, British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, Disability Alliance, Klinefelter’s Syndrome Association, Mind, MS Society, National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society, National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, Parkinson’s Disease Society, Pernicious Anaemia Society, Rethink, Stroke Association, Skin Care Campaign and Terrence Higgins Trust.

3.  Exempting people with long-term conditions from prescription charges would directly improve drug compliance and health outcomes among those who are struggling to afford their medicines. It is therefore likely that the NHS would be able to treat long-term conditions more cost effectively as a result of prescription charge exemption, given the evidence that under-treatment of long-term conditions due to cost issues results in increased use of health services. People who struggle to afford prescription charges adopt a number of coping strategies, including not going to see their GP (to avoid the prescription), not getting the prescription dispensed, or prioritising amongst different items.