From the beginning of April 2023 women experiencing symptoms of the menopause can access cheaper Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) with a pre-payment certificate (PPC) which will help to save hundreds of pounds in prescription charges.
The new HRT PPC will reduce prescription costs to just £19.30 per year and can be used against a list of eligible HRT items which includes patches, tablets and topical preparations. Patients can use the HRT PPC as many times as they need across the year.
This new scheme to reduce the cost of HRT sits alongside the work that DHSC is continuing to do with suppliers to ensure that supply of HRT products is able to meet growing demand.
Minister for Women’s Health Strategy Maria Caulfield said: “Since we launched the Women’s Health Strategy last summer, we have made great progress in raising the profile of health issues affecting women, including symptoms of the menopause.
“Often it’s necessary to use more than one type of HRT, and many women I have spoken to needed to try a few different types to get the right medication that works for them.
“Everyone is different, and price should not be a barrier to treatment – reducing the price of a year’s worth of HRT to under £20 is a huge moment of levelling the playing field.”
Paul Howell, Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, said: “I am a member of the Menopause All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and I have regular meetings and discussions with Kathrine Winter, a Community Nurse in Sedgefield and the Founder of the Female Hormone Deficiency Support Group. As you will know, access to HRT is a cause I have rallied behind since being elected to Parliament. That’s why I was delighted to hear that the Government will cut the cost of Hormone Replacement Therapy, saving women who suffer from negative symptoms of menopause hundreds of pounds and improving their lives.
“The introduction of prescription pre-payment certificates for Hormone Replacement Therapy will reduce the cost of HRT to less than £20 a year and save hundreds of pounds each year for the 400,000 women affected. Making HRT more affordable will not only help women to save money but will improve the lives of women who suffer from negative symptoms of the menopause each year.”