Promoting NHS prescription prepayment certificates
A recent report published by Healthwatch England highlights that the cost of living pressures are affecting people’s ability to afford prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Freedom of Information data from 2021, found that over a million people could have saved money through NHS prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs). Therefore, Healthwatch England is calling for improvements to NHS PPCs by:
- raising patient awareness through national campaigns and the wider rollout of NHS posters
- better signage of prepayment options should be provided in pharmacies
- funding for pharmacies selling PPCs should also be provided by the NHSBSA
Pharmacy teams can help to raise awareness by displaying posters in their pharmacy to remind patients about the savings they can make with PPCs. A HC20 poster for standard PPCs and HRT PPC posters, can be ordered from the Primary Care Support England (PCSE) online portal. Pharmacies will need to login to their PCSE Online accounts and place the order for the posters. For any enquiries, the PCSE Customer Support Centre can be contacted via telephone on 0333 014 2884.
Community Pharmacy England has also designed downloadable and print ready prepayment certificate posters for display in community pharmacies.
PPC Poster 2024/25 (black and white)
Pharmacy teams should note that selling of any PPCs is unfunded activity and it is optional for pharmacies to sell any PPCs in the pharmacy. To ensure patients select the PPC that is right for them, we recommend directing patients to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website to complete their PPC purchase.
- A standard (3 or 12-month) PPC can be purchased from www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-nhs-prescriptioncosts/nhs-prescription-prepayment-certificate-ppc or telephone 0300 330 1341.
- Patients can purchase a HRT PPC online at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/hrt-ppc or telephone 0300 330 2089.
However, pharmacy teams should note that selling of PPCs in pharmacy may be beneficial for patients who require assistance, for example, due to difficulties using and/or accessing the internet. Please note pharmacies currently registered to sell standard PPCs no longer need to log into a separate online system to process the PPCs sold through the pharmacy, these can now be recorded on MYS using the tab ‘Sell a Prescription Payment Certificate (PPC)’.
If a patient is unsure or needs more guidance, they can use the NHSBSA’s online eligibility checker. Further information for patients can be found here.
