Many NHS services are free at the point of service, there is usually a charge in England for prescriptions - with some exceptions. Since health is a devolved matter in the UK, people in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales already receive free prescriptions. However, there are some circumstances where English patients can get them for free too.
Whether it's due to their age, financial circumstances or medical conditions, some patients can claim free prescriptions. People living in England are eligible for free prescriptions, if they are aged 60 or over, are under 16 or 16 to 18 and in full-time education. You are also entitled if you are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate.
Medical Exemption certificates are also given out via an application form by a Doctor for specific cases. The National Health Service has said that you are entitled to a Medical Exemption certificate if you have: a permanent fistula (for example, caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) which needs continuous surgical dressing or an appliance a form of hypoadrenalism (for example, Addison’s Disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone hypoparathyroidism myasthenia gravis myxoedema (that is, hypothyroidism which needs thyroid hormone replacement) epilepsy which needs continuous anticonvulsive therapy a .