§ During the period 1st April 1965 to 9th June 1968 all prescriptions were free of charge. From 10th June 1968 the following categories of patient were exempt from charges:
- (i) Children under the age of 15 years and persons 65 years of age or over;
- (ii) Persons holding exemption certificates issued to expectant and nursing mothers and persons suffering from specified medical conditions;
- (iii) War or service disablement pensioners for medicines needed to treat the disablement;
- (iv) Persons and their dependants in receipt of supplementary benefit or family income supplement or entitled on grounds of low income.
- (v) Holders of pre-payment certificates.
§ From 8th April 1974, children aged 15 years and women between the ages of 60 and 65 years also became entitled to exemption. The cost of prescriptions dispensed without charge under the pharmaceutical services—including payments to dispensing doctors—and the numbers dispensed by chemists are set out below. The administrative costs of operating the exemption scheme are not separately recorded but are estimated to be about 1 per cent. of the cost of free prescriptions. For the majority of patients, exemption from charges is obtained by a simple declaration on the reverse of the prescription form.
| Year ended 31st March | Estimated cost of free prescriptions £ million | Numbers of free prescriptions Million |
| 1966 | 126 | 227 |
| 1967 | 132 | 243 |
| 1968 | 143 | 252 |
| 1969 | 112 | 192 |
| 1970 | 83 | 128 |
| 1971 | 92 | 133 |
| 1972 | 111 | 141 |
| 1973 | 130 | 150 |
| 1974 | 145 | 154 |
| 1975 | 182 | 165 |