NHS charges by nation: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compared

Four health services, four sets of charges

Health is devolved. The Department of Health and Social Care sets charges for England, and the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Department of Health set their own. The result is that where you live, and in some cases where your GP is registered, decides what you pay for prescriptions, dental care, eye tests and parking. The table gives the position on 22 October 2026 for an adult outside the exemption groups.

Prescriptions

England charges £9.90 per item, held for 2026/27. Scotland has no charge, and NHS inform notes that an English prescription dispensed in Scotland is charged at the English rate unless the patient is exempt under English rules. Wales gives free prescriptions to anyone registered with a Welsh GP, and residents of Wales with an English GP receive an entitlement card to show at Welsh pharmacies. Northern Ireland dispenses every prescription free of charge with no eligibility test, covering medicines, wigs and surgical appliances.

The prescription charge guide covers the English charge and the certificates that reduce it.

Dental treatment

England uses three bands from 1 April 2026: Band 1 at £27.90 for examination, diagnosis and preventive care, Band 2 at £76.60 for fillings, root canals and extractions, Band 3 at £332.10 for crowns, dentures and bridges. Unscheduled care costs £27.90.

Scotland gives every resident a free NHS dental examination. Treatment is free for anyone under 26, pregnant women and nursing mothers, and people on qualifying benefits. Everyone else pays 80% of the cost up to £384 per course of treatment.

Wales dropped the bands. From 2026 it charges by care package: new patient assessment £27.21, recall £25, urgent care £37.50, simple restorative £36.03, extensive restorative £68.75, periodontal £48.53, denture £86.40, stabilisation £75, anterior root canal £91.18, posterior root canal £182.72, crown and bridge £140.44, miscellaneous £25. The maximum for a course is £384. Under 25s and people aged 60 or over get a free dental examination but pay for any treatment that follows.

Northern Ireland charges 80% of the dentist's fee up to £384. Nidirect gives examples: an examination £7.62 to £23.94, a scale and polish £12.09, a white crown on a front tooth £76.93 to £114.66, a full upper and lower denture £165.64. Treatment is free for under 18s, 18 year olds in full-time education, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on qualifying benefits.

Sight tests

Scotland is the only UK nation with a universal free eye examination. NHS National Services Scotland states that NHS eye examinations are free to all patients resident in Scotland and to other UK residents visiting Scotland. Overseas visitors are charged.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland restrict the free test to listed groups. In England the groups include under 16s, 16 to 18 year olds in full-time education, people aged 60 or over, people with diabetes or glaucoma, close relatives aged 40 or over of a glaucoma patient, registered sight-impaired people and people on qualifying benefits or with an HC2. Wales adds under 19s in full-time education, people with sight in one eye, people with a hearing impairment, people with retinitis pigmentosa and people clinically assessed as at risk of eye disease. Northern Ireland's list is close to England's and includes people aged 60 or over, diabetes, glaucoma and its risk groups, and HC2 or HC3 holders. The free sight tests guide gives the voucher values.

Hospital parking

Scotland abolished charges at NHS-owned car parks in 2008. Three PFI car parks at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Ninewells Hospital and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary kept charging until the Scottish Government removed those charges in 2020. The Scottish Government's response to petition PE2079 states no NHS facility in Scotland now charges for parking.

Wales has provided free parking at all NHS hospital sites for patients, staff and visitors since 1 April 2008, with the last three external contracts expiring in 2018.

England allows trusts to charge. The NHS Standard Contract requires free parking for Blue Badge holders, outpatients with at least 3 appointments in 30 days across at least 3 months, parents of children under 18 admitted overnight (between 7.30pm and 8am), and staff on shifts starting after 7.30pm and ending before 8am.

Northern Ireland passed the Hospital Parking Charges Act in 2022. A further Act in May 2026 deferred the end of charges and set the latest date as 12 May 2029, with the Department able to bring it forward by regulation if finances allow.

Low income help across the nations

England, Scotland and Wales share the NHS Low Income Scheme run by the NHSBSA, with HC1 forms, HC2 full help and HC3 partial help. Northern Ireland runs its own version through Jobs & Benefits offices, with HC2 and HC3 certificates lasting 12 months. The Low Income Scheme guide gives the capital limits, which include a higher care home figure of £24,000 in Wales against £23,250 in England and Scotland.

Where the figures come from

England: the NHS website prescription charges page, NHSBSA knowledge base article KA-02003 for dental bands, leaflet HC11 (V28) for sight test groups, and GOV.UK car parking principles. Scotland: NHS inform for prescriptions, NHS National Services Scotland for dental examinations and eye examinations, the Scottish Government dentistry policy page for the 80% and £384 figures and the under-26 rule, and the Scottish Government response to petition PE2079 for parking. Wales: the Welsh Government free prescriptions, dental charges and exemptions, eye care costs, and car parking guidance WHC/2018/010 pages. Northern Ireland: nidirect for prescriptions, dental charges and eye care, and the Department of Health news release of 8 May 2026 for parking.