Prescription fees in England are set to increase by 20p to £8.05 in 2014/15 and by a further 20p to £8.25 in 2015/16, according to Health Minister Norman Lamb. NHS dental charges will also rise in England from April 1st, with increases of between 50p and £5.
The new prices are going to affect all bands of NHS dental treatment and will see band one raise by 50p to £18.50, for things like X-rays, band two treatments will cost an extra £1.50, rising to £50.50 for extractions and fillings, and the cost of band three procedures, such as crowns and dentures, will reach £219, a £5 increase.
A statement made by another Health Minister, Earl Howe, said that the changes would come into effect in England at the beginning of next month. Mr Howe said ‘This government has made tough decisions to protect the NHS budget and increase it in real terms, but charges for some items remain an important source of revenue to support the delivery of high quality NHS services. This is particularly important given the increasing demands on the NHS, with spending on medicines alone almost doubling since 2000.’
He went on to say that ‘Dental charges represent an important contribution to the overall cost of dental services. The exact amount raised will be dependent upon the level and type of primary dental care services commissioned by the NHS England and the proportion of charge-paying patients who attend dentists and the level of treatment they require.’