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General Pharmaceutical Services > General Public > Entitlement to Free NHS Prescriptions

NHS criteria for patients eligible to receive free prescriptions are:-

Age

  • A person who is under 16 years of age;
  • A person who is aged 16, 17 or 18 and in qualifying full-time education;
  • A person who is aged 60 and over;

Pregnancy

  • A woman with a valid exemption certificate issued by the Central Services Agency because she is an expectant mother or has within the last twelve months given birth to a live child or a child registered as stillborn;

Medical Grounds

    A person with a valid exemption certificate issued by the Central Services Agency because they have one or more of the following conditions:

  • Permanent fistula (including caecostomy, colostomy or ileostomy or laryngostomy), which requires continuous surgical dressing or requires an appliance;
  • Epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy;
  • A continuing physical disability, which prevents the patient leaving home without the help of another person (temporary disabilities do not count even if they last for several months);
  • Diabetes mellitus except where treatment is by diet alone;
  • Diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism;
  • Hypoparathyroidism;
  • Forms of hypoadrenalism (including Addison’s disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential;
  • Myxoedema;
  • Myasthenia gravis;
  • A person receiving a War or MOD Disablement Pension holding a valid exemption certificate issued by the Secretary of State in respect of the supply of drugs and appliances for the treatment of the accepted disablement only.

Income Grounds

    A person who is receiving, or whose partner is receiving:

  • Income Support;
  • Minimum Income Guarantee (equivalent to Income Support where recipient or partner is aged 60 or over);
  • Income based Job Seekers Allowance;
  • A person named on, or entitled to, a tax credit exemption certificate.

NHS prescription pre-payment certificate

  • A person who holds a valid prescription pre-payment certificate.

The above information is contained in leaflet Are you entitled to help with health costs?