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Prescription charges could have cost patients across England £883 million in 2024-25 without prescription prepayment certificates (PPC), according to an analysis by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).

The latest figure, which the NHSBSA said is based on “experimental estimates”, is an increase on £817 million in 2023-24. The analysis showed 3.35 million patients received NHS prescriptions where a PPC exemption was applied in 2024-25, an increase on 3.28 million patients in 2023-2024.

The analysis also revealed 3.2 million PPCs were issued in 2024-25, up from three million the year before, and over two-thirds of those were 12-month PPCs. The NHSBSA said uptake of those certificates have seen “a consistent year-on-year increase since 2018-19”.

Other findings included 984,000 three-month PPCs and 542,000 hormone replacement therapy PPCs issued in 2024-25.

The NHSBSA said: “Assuming patients all purchased a 12-month prepayment certificate, they could have saved £499 million on prescription charges after the cost of the certificate has been applied, up from £451 million in 2023-2024”.

It added: “Without an HRT PPC, prescription charges could have cost patients approximately £33.4 million.”