Private prescription fees: what a private prescription costs

Two costs in one prescription

A private prescription is written outside the NHS, by a private GP, an online doctor or a pharmacist prescriber. You pay for it in two parts. The first is the prescriber's time, charged as a consultation or prescription fee. The second is the medicine, dispensed at the price the pharmacy sets, with a dispensing fee or delivery charge on top at some pharmacies.

Chemist4U lists the three things which decide the total: the medication prescribed, whether the prescriber charges a fee and whether the pharmacy adds a dispensing fee. Pharmacy2U puts the difference from the NHS plainly. You pay the full cost of each item instead of the subsidised flat charge.

The flat charge in England is £9.90 per item. It does not apply to private prescriptions, and neither does a prepayment certificate, which the NHSBSA says covers all your NHS prescriptions. Fees for a private GP appointment itself are on the private GP prices page.

What online doctors and pharmacies charge

Most online services fold the doctor's review into one price per pack. Dr Fox is the exception: it lists the medicine and the prescription fee separately. These were the published terms on 22 October 2026:

The Dr Fox fee rises with the order value: £1 for orders up to £10, £2 up to £20, £3 up to £40 and £4 above £40. It is charged per consultation, not per item.

Superdrug Online Doctor dispenses from Superdrug Pharmacy, 9 to 11 Wood Street, Northampton. LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor is run by Expert Health Limited, and the LloydsPharmacy.com shop is provided under licence by Pharmacy2U Limited.

One pack of omeprazole, totalled

Omeprazole 20 mg is a common generic, which makes it a fair test. Adding every charge for a single pack of 28 capsules:

Quantity changes the sum. Dr Fox sells 28 omeprazole 10 mg capsules for £7.95 and 56 for £11.95. With the £2 fee and £2.90 delivery the 56-capsule order totals £16.85, or about 30p a capsule.

When a private prescription costs less than £9.90

The private route can undercut the NHS charge in England in three cases.

• The medicine is a cheap generic and delivery is free. Chemist4U's £7.99 pack sits £1.91 below the NHS charge once your basket passes £39.
• You need several cheap items at once. The NHS charges £9.90 for each item, while Dr Fox charges one fee per consultation.
• The medicine is not available to you on the NHS at all. Your GP decides what to prescribe, and NHS England asks GPs not to prescribe routinely for 35 minor conditions.

When the NHS prescription wins

Scotland abolished prescription charges on 1 April 2011, and Wales gives free prescriptions to anyone registered with a Welsh GP. Anywhere in those two nations a private prescription is pure extra cost.

In England, the NHS is cheaper if you are exempt or hold a prepayment certificate. The 12-month certificate costs £114.50 and covers every NHS item. Each private item is paid in full on top.

Bringing your own private paper prescription to Pharmacy2U never beats the NHS charge, because its minimum is £9.90 per item. At Superdrug Online Doctor the £16.00 omeprazole pack costs £6.10 more than the NHS charge.

Brand names push the private price up, as the generic vs branded prices page shows. Contraception is free on the NHS, so any private price for the pill is an added cost. The contraception costs page has the figures.

Steps to check a private prescription price

1. Ask whether your NHS GP will prescribe the medicine. In England each item costs £9.90, or nothing with an exemption.
2. Get the generic name of the medicine and its strength from the prescriber.
3. Add up the medicine price, any prescription or dispensing fee and delivery for each pharmacy you compare.
4. Look up the pharmacy's GPhC number on the General Pharmaceutical Council register before you pay.
5. Check the date on any paper private prescription. Pharmacy2U treats it as valid for 6 months from that date.
6. If you post a paper prescription to Dr Fox, delivery is free. Elsewhere, group items in one order to pass the free delivery threshold.

Mistakes that cost money

Comparing the medicine price alone. A £7.99 pack becomes £11.94 with standard delivery.

Choosing next-day delivery by default. Chemist4U charges £6.95 for guaranteed next day and £8.95 for Royal Mail Special Delivery. LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor charges £4.95.

Paying privately in Scotland or Wales for a medicine your GP would prescribe free.

Assuming a prepayment certificate or exemption certificate covers a private prescription. It covers NHS items only.

Where the figures come from

Chemist4U's omeprazole price, delivery charges and cost factors come from its omeprazole and private prescription pages. Dr Fox's prices, fee scale and delivery terms come from its omeprazole and medicine prices pages, and its GPhC number from its regulation page. Superdrug Online Doctor's prices and pharmacy details come from its omeprazole, how it works and regulation pages. LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor's price, inclusions and delivery charges come from its fexofenadine product page and FAQs. Pharmacy2U's charges, validity rule and GPhC number come from its prescription pages on health.royalmail.com. The £9.90 charge is from the NHS website and the £114.50 certificate price from the NHSBSA. Scotland's and Wales's rules are from the Scottish and Welsh Governments, and the 35 minor conditions from NHS England's policy guidance. All pages were read on 22 October 2026.