Norman Lamb MP

Minister of State

Department of Health

Richmond House

79 Whitehall

London SW1A 2NS

Date: 22^nd March 2013

Dear Norman,

I have received correspondence from a number of constituents calling for the phase out of prescription charges for patients with long term medical conditions. After investigation, I have to agree that the current system is out dated, unfair and inaccessible.

• Outdated because I understand the list of specified medical conditions that have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx) was last updated in 1968;
• Unfair because there appears to be no clear justification behind the conditions that are included and excluded on this list;
• Inaccessible because Government schemes are frequently not communicated properly and because of the burden of proof that falls on lower income patients.

Whilst I appreciate that the Government has sought to reduce the burden that repeat prescriptions represent for patients by way of prescription charge exemptions schemes, the prescription prepayment certification scheme, which attempts to address the financial burden for patients with long term conditions, fundamentally fails to create a level playing field. A new report “Paying the Price” by the Prescription Charge Coalition highlights the shocking decisions people with conditions like asthma, heart disease, arthritis, HIV, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Parkinson's, mental health conditions, cystic fibrosis, auto-immune disease and many others are being forced to make because of the added financial burdens associated with prescription charges. As my constituents argue, it is wrong that people are forced to choose between food, clothing, bills or their prescriptions. Moreover, in some instances this can lead to unnecessary medical care and attention being required, an additional, unnecessary burden for the NHS.

The Prescription Charge Coalition has also demonstrated that other schemes are not performing as designed. For instance, they suggest that the annual burden of proof for the NHS Low Income Scheme is a barrier to access for low income patients, whilst also being an administrative burden for the NHS.

The result of the policy performance gap is that an unacceptable number of patients suffering from long term medical conditions are not able to follow their prescriptions regimes correctly. In light of these issues I am seeking your commitment to developing a clear, fair, more easily accessible and transparent system that ensures nobody with a long term condition struggles or is unable to meet the costs of their prescriptions.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas MP, Brighton Pavilion

Read the ministerial response here.