Prescription charges frozen again: and why Type 1 often means free scripts
England’s NHS prescription charge is frozen at £9.90 for 2026/27, a second successive freeze, with existing medical exemptions unchanged.
Here is a small piece of good news, and a reminder that probably saves you money. The NHS prescription charge in England is being frozen at £9.90 for 2026/27, the second year running with no rise, and the medical exemptions that already exist are unchanged. That last part is the bit that matters most for Type 1: because you take insulin, you almost certainly qualify for free prescriptions already, and if you are paying, you may not need to be.
- The England prescription charge stays at £9.90 for 2026/27, frozen for a second year in a row.
- People with diabetes treated with medication, which includes everyone with Type 1 on insulin, qualify for a medical exemption certificate that makes NHS prescriptions free.
- You apply with a simple form, usually through your GP surgery, and the certificate lasts five years before it needs renewing.
- In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland prescriptions are already free for everyone, so this charge is an England-only issue.
- If you have been paying while entitled to free scripts, it is worth sorting the certificate and asking about claiming back recent charges.
The freeze, in plain terms
The government has confirmed that the NHS prescription charge in England will stay at £9.90 for the 2026/27 financial year, the second year in a row it has been held rather than raised. It is a modest thing, but after years of steady increases, a second freeze at least means the cost of a prescription is not climbing further for the people who do pay it.
Just as importantly, the existing medical exemptions are untouched. Nothing about who qualifies for free prescriptions has been tightened. So the freeze is genuinely good news for anyone paying, and for most people with Type 1 the more useful headline is the exemption that was already there.
Why Type 1 usually means free prescriptions
People with diabetes who are treated with medication, which is everyone with Type 1, are entitled to a medical exemption certificate, often shortened to MedEx. It means your NHS prescriptions are free, not just your insulin but any prescription you collect while it is valid. If you have Type 1 in England and are handing over £9.90 at the counter, that is usually money you do not need to spend.
Getting one is straightforward: ask your GP surgery for the application form, which they sign to confirm your condition, send it off, and a certificate arrives that lasts five years and then needs renewing. A common trap is letting it lapse without noticing, so it is worth putting the expiry date in your calendar. If you have paid recently while you were actually entitled, ask the pharmacy for a receipt at the time of payment, because there is a way to claim charges back within a set window. And if you ever do pay for prescriptions for another reason, a prepayment certificate, which caps what you pay over three or twelve months, can work out cheaper than paying per item.