Manchester residents fined £159k for not paying prescription charges

Manchester residents racked up the second-highest number of fines for not paying prescription charges in the country, data shows.

Research by From Mars revealed that the city had totted up just over £159,000 in penalty charge notices (PCNs).

More than 1,700 fines were issued in the city in 2020.

The data shows this is a particular problem across the North West, and the researchers have highlighted the rising cost of NHS prescriptions.

What does the data show?

The figures showed that Manchester residents racked up £159,161 in fines over not paying for prescriptions when they should have.

Altogether 1,757 PCNs were handed out for prescription-related reasons between January and December last year.

Only Birmingham had worse figures, with 2,810 PCNs being handed out setting residents back £252,257.

Manchester was also sixth-highest when the data was adjusted for population, with a rate of 31.62 PCNs handed out per 100,000 people in the city.

The data shows this is a big problem in the North West, with the region accounting for 17 of the top 20 local authorities in the table of PCNs per 100,000 residents.

The top 10 locations between them racked up more than 14,000 PCNs which cost residents some 1,210,900.

What do the researchers say?

From Mars pointed out that the cost of NHS prescriptions has been rising by an average of around 2.5% each year.

Currently prescriptions cost £9.35, and they reached that level following a jump of 3.89%, the largest single year-on-year increase since 2012-13.

The researchers say that while prescription prices are regulated to keep them under control, and while there are exemptions, they do wonder whether or not PCNs are being given out because people physically cannot afford their medication rather than because they are trying to dodge shelling out.

However, the team has been unable to come to any firmer conclusions about this.

The team at From Mars is particularly concerned about the increased costs adding up significantly for people with more complex health needs who may require multiple prescriptions and a large amount of medication.

What does the Government say?

The Department for Health and Social Care outlined the exemptions from prescription charges which help those who might struggle most to pay them and explained why the set fee is passed on to people when they pick up their medication.

A spokesperson said: “While the majority of NHS treatment is free of charge, there are some costs that people might need to pay for specific kinds of care or treatment.

“The statutory NHS prescription item charge in England is an important source of funding for the NHS and it makes a valuable contribution to vital services patients rely on.

“There is a broad range of exemptions available to people in the greatest financial need, supporting individuals on lower incomes; people under the age of 15 or under 18 in full time education, the over 60s, pregnant women or women who have given birth in the previous year.”