Menopause symptoms: Half a million women in England benefit from cheaper HRT

The HRT prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) reduced prescription costs to just £19.30 per year.

More than 500,000 women in England have benefitted from cheaper hormone replacement therapy (HRT) since the launch of the HRT prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) on 1 April last year, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

HRT is the main treatment for negative menopause symptoms that can impact all areas of a woman’s life.

Introduced as part of the government's Women’s Health Strategy, which made menopause a priority area, the HRT PPC reduced prescription costs to just £19.30 per year, helping patients save hundreds of pounds in prescription charges.

The DHSC has confirmed that more than £11 million was saved by women using the PPC in the last nine months.

Using the HRT PPC, patients can get a range of HRT items, including patches, tablets, and topical preparations at reduced prices, and they can use it many times as needed throughout the year.

Minister for Women’s Health Strategy, Maria Caulfield, emphasised that all women should get access to the right medication that works for them.

“Many women often need to try a few different types of HRT to get the right medication that works for them.

By reducing the price of HRT to under £20 for a year’s supply, we’ve made it more equitable for women to go on living their normal lives,” she said.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins is determined to make access to healthcare “faster, simpler, and fairer.”

She believes that better access to HRT will “improve the lives of millions and give women the freedom to take control of their symptoms.”

“This is a huge milestone and shows how successful our Women’s Health Strategy is in delivering the outcomes women want and deserve,” she said.

To support women experiencing menopause, the government is also investing £25 million to establish women’s health hubs in local health areas across the country.

It has set a target to establish at least one women’s health hub in every local area this year to improve access and quality of care in services for menstrual problems, contraception, pelvic pain, menopause care, and more.

Besides improving health outcomes, these hubs are expected to help reduce health inequalities.

Women experiencing menopause can get the HRT PPC either online on the NHSBSA website or in person at some pharmacies.

Patients can take their prescriptions and HRT PPC to a pharmacy to get the medicines that are covered under the scheme.