February 7th 2024

By Ailsa Colquhoun

More patients refuse prescriptions because of cost

More than a third of pharmacists (35%) said they have seen an increase in patients declining prescriptions in the last 12 months.

In a survey by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and others:

• 90% of respondents have seen cases where patients decline all the medicines on a prescription due to cost.
• 97% of respondents have seen cases where patients decline some of the medicines on a prescription due to cost. More than a quarter (26%) said they saw this often.
• Many types of medicines that are being declined, with a range of potential consequences for the individual’s health, include those for blood pressure, inhalers, antibiotics, pain relief, statins, and for mental health.

The warning adds to the voices of leading patient groups calling for reform to prescription charges in England.