Prescription charges will not be uplifted on 1 April 2022 from the current (2021) NHS prescription charge of £9.35 per item.

This was confirmed in a parliamentary answer by health minister Edward Argar.

He added: “There is currently no planned announcement on any future increase. Decisions on increases take account of a range of evidence including the Gross Domestic Product deflator.”

The current cost of Prescription Pre-payment Certificates (PPCs) are also unchanged.

The DDA is also seeking clarification on the Government’s response to the consultation on Aligning the upper age for NHS prescription charge exemptions with the State Pension age and on its commitment to introduce one charge for up to a 12-month supply of HRT.