English patients sick of raw deal - The Sun

ENGLISH patients were sickened by their raw deal today as they became the only Brits forced to pay for prescriptions.

It comes after Scotland ruled its people would get free drugs from now on, joining Wales and Northern Ireland in scrapping charges.

The imbalance is set to cause fury among patients in England who are effectively subsidising free prescriptions for everyone but themselves while shelling out more than 7 for everything their GP hands them.

The absurd situation arose when devolved governments voted in favour of binning charges, while the British government still ruling the English NHS from Whitehall chose to continue with the old system.

And only last month health minister Simon Burns confirmed a 20p increase in the cost of an NHS prescription taking it to 7.40. The rise comes into effect today.

Plans to give free prescriptions to those with long-term conditions in England were shelved last year because of the country's economic strife but that didn't stop Scotland's SNP government scrapping all charges north of the border.

Losing out

Mr Burns said last May that a decision could not be made until the end of last year's spending review, but the charges remained in place.

Wales was first to grant free drugs four years ago. Northern Ireland acted next in 2010.

Even before Scotland followed suit, people there paid prescription charges of just 3.

Roger Goss, from watchdog Patient Concern, said: "Patients in England will be asking if this is fair. They are being discriminated against and losing out."

Prescription costs are not the only thing the English lose out on.

In Scotland the elderly get an allowance to put towards care home costs, but in England you only get help if you have assets of less than 23,000 a disincentive to save.

And Scottish pensioners get free eye tests which cost English OAPs 19 each.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association Council, said charging for prescriptions went against one of the founding principles of the NHS that's it's free at the point of use.

He said: "The Government should not be increasing prescription charges. It should be following the lead set by the three other nations in the UK and making plans to abolish them."