The NHS has urged people claiming free prescriptions to ensure they have an up-to-date medical exemption certificate.
People with certain conditions, including ‘epilepsy which needs continuous anticonvulsive therapy’ don’t need to pay for their prescriptions. However, they need to have a valid medical exemption certificate to claim their free prescriptions.
People can apply for or renew their medical exemption certificate through their GP or doctor. Certificates are valid for five years and need renewal once this time has lapsed, or people could face a fine of up to £100.
The NHS says that there are around 156,000 active medical exemption certificates issued to people with epilepsy who qualify.
In 2025, overall, around 50,000 penalty charge notices were issued where people had ticked medical exemption certificate but did not have a valid one. In around 40% of cases, patients had a condition which entitled them to free prescriptions, but no valid certificate.
The NHS Health Exemptions Services team explained that in these situations, they can hold the case while the patient applies for a certificate and can then waive the penalty charge. However, people will still need to pay for that prescription.
The team said that people will get a renewal reminder posted before their medical exemption certificate expires. It added that people entitled to free prescriptions for another reason, such as being under 18, over 60 or eligible through an exempting benefit may not need a medical exemption certificate.
People can check if they’re eligible for free prescriptions online.
Epilepsy Action has more information around this and other benefits.
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