The NHS issues ~1bn prescriptions each year, of which 10% are paid for and 90% free.
The price of a prescription is currently ~£9. The income from prescription charges could be as much as £900m - although i suspect that the real number is somewhat lower due to "season tickets" which discount the cost for medium and higher regular users.
How much it costs to administer is anybody's guess - we need a consensual rational debate of cost vs complexity vs distraction vs moral/ethical etc. Sadly it is yet another part of healthcare where dogma and politics trump rules.
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