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In 2008 Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, was asked to lead an independent review on how a prescription charge exemption for people with long term conditions should be implemented, including how it would be phased in. The Government is now publishing the review, which was submitted to previous ministers in November 2009.

These are his recommendations:

• There should be a broad definition of a long term health condition
• Patients’ eligibility should be determined, against this definition, by their doctor
• The Government will need to develop detailed plans for implementation, working in particular with primary care and patient group stakeholders
• People who receive incapacity benefit without income support, or contribution based employment and support allowance, or disability living allowance should gain an automatic exemption from prescription charges
• As now, exemption should be for the person rather than restricted to the treatment of the condition for which he/she is exempt
• Disagreement on whether a patient’s condition is a long term condition should be resolved using existing processes
• Exemption should last for three years
• Phasing should be achieved by stepwise reductions in the price of the prescription pre‑payment certificate
• Patients who are exempt under the current medical exemption categories should retain their exemption throughout the phasing period.Patients who are newly diagnosed with these conditions during phasing should also continue to be exempted from prescription charges.
• The Government should consider bringing in the changes as soon as possible
  

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