A Chronic Cost: Survey

Highlighting the impact of prescription charges on people living with IBD in England.

This patient survey is part of A Chronic Cost, a non-promotional campaign fully funded and organised by Tillotts Pharma UK Ltd. OVID Health is working on behalf of Tillotts to deliver this survey, with input and support from IBDrelief and GetYourBellyOut.

This survey is intended for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the United Kingdom.

TAKE THE SURVEY

At GetYourBellyOut, we’ve spent over a decade listening to the lived experiences of people with IBD. We know that beyond the physical and emotional toll, prescription charges add real financial pressure for many in our community.

That’s why we’re supporting Tillotts’ A Chronic Cost campaign, highlighting the impact prescription costs have on people with IBD in England.

Please take a few minutes to complete the short survey to share your experiences. Every response helps strengthen the call for change.

About the A Chronic Cost campaign

A Chronic Cost highlights the impact of prescription charges on people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in England.

  • A 2023 survey of 4,000 people living with long-term conditions from the Prescription Charges Coalition found that nearly 1 in 10 have skipped medication in the past year due to the cost of prescriptions and over half (53%) of them have had to take time off work due to worsening health.[1]
  • Additionally, an economic model published in 2018 by the York Health Economics Consortium estimated that scrapping prescription charges for people with IBD could save the NHS £20 million a year.[2]

England is the only UK nation that still charges for prescriptions, and the charge is now £9.90 per item.[3] Whilst purchasing a Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC) can reduce this cost, paying for prescriptions places a considerable financial burden on many people living with IBD as they may be required to pay for multiple prescription items as often as fortnightly or monthly to access the medicines they need to manage their condition.

People living with some medical conditions can get their prescriptions free of charge, but these exemptions are limited, do not include IBD and are based on a list of conditions that has remained largely unchanged since 1968.[4,5]

What are we calling for?

A Chronic Cost is ultimately calling for prescription charges for people living with IBD in England to be scrapped. In the meantime, the campaign is also urging Government to: 

  • Review the medical exemption list for prescription charges.
  • Assess the cost-effectiveness of scrapping charges for IBD patients.

Why are we running this patient survey?

We are seeking up-to-date data to better understand the impact of prescription charges on people living with IBD in England.

TAKE THE SURVEY

[1]. Prescription Charges Coalition. 2023. Survey reveals prescription charges are a barrier to keeping people well and in work. Available at: http://www.prescriptionchargescoalition.co.uk/latest-news/survey-reveals-prescription-charges-are-a-barrier-to-keeping-people-well-and-in-work [Accessed September 2025].
[2]. Prescription Charges Coalition/York Health Economics Consortium. 2018. PRESCRIPTION CHARGES COALITION: Economic evaluation of the benefits of extending free prescriptions to people with long-term conditions. Available at: https://www.prescriptionchargescoalition.org.uk/uploads/1/2/7/5/12754304/economic_evaluation_report.pdf [Accessed September 2025].
[3]. NHS. 2025. NHS prescription charges. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions/nhs-prescription-charges/ [Accessed September 2025].
[4]. NHS Business Services Authority. Medical exemption certificates. Available at: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check-if-you-have-nhs-exemption/medical-exemption-certificates [Accessed September 2025].
[5]. GOV.UK. 2023. Aligning the upper age for NHS prescription charge exemptions with the State Pension age. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/aligning-the-upper-age-for-nhs-prescription-charge-exemptions-with-the-state-pension-age/aligning-the-upper-age-for-nhs-prescription-charge-exemptions-with-the-state-pension-age [Accessed September 2025].

NU-02791 | March 2026