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One in ten patients in England go without medicine because of the £9.90 'cruel tax on illness', pharmacy leaders warn

One in ten patients in England go without medicine because of the £9.90 'cruel tax on illness', pharmacy leaders warn

Patients in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland pay nothing, and 79 per cent of 1,781 English adults polled by Savanta call that unfair. A further 12 per cent delayed collecting prescriptions over cost. National Pharmacy Association chairman Olivier Picard branded it 'a national scandal'. The association wants the Chancellor to axe the £9.90-per-item charge in next week's Budget.

Wales scrapped charges in 2007, Northern Ireland in 2010 and Scotland in 2011.

Asthma and Lung UK says patients are 'essentially paying for their right to breathe'.

Picard says some must pay 'simply because they have the wrong kind of illness'.

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