HUGE plans to improve access to and reduce costs of HRT for millions could be delayed indefinitely, MPs have heard.
Health minister Will Quince couldn’t guarantee proposals to allow women to pay a one-off annual charge for HRT rather than repeat prescriptions would be delivered by April as promised.
He said he was “confident” the target would be met but said it’s introduction is “subject to the necessary consultation with professional bodies” and this would be the reason for “any potential delay”.
The Government committed in October 2021 to introducing a single prescription charge of £18.70 per year for a 12-month supply of HRT, adding it would save women up to £205 per year.
Last year, The Sun called for free HRT on the NHS for everyone as part of our Menopause Matters campaign.
Labour MP Carolyn Harris of Swansea East, a key campaigner in greater access for HRT, told a Westminster Hall debate: “Menopause is not a choice and HRT is not a luxury but for many women the monthly costs for their prescriptions will be one of the casualties of family finance cutbacks.
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“It is therefore vital that the promised pre-payment certificate is implemented as soon as possible.”
HRT is currently available on prescription for £9.35 a time in England, although it is free in Scotland and Wales.
“Women have already waited for a year,” Carolyn said.
“The last date we were advised for its introduction was April 2023 and I’d be grateful if when the minister responds we could today have a guarantee that this date will not slip any further back,” she added.
Mr Quince, concluding the debate, said: “We are absolutely committed to reducing the cost of HRT prescriptions through a bespoke pre-payment certificate for HRT and we will introduce this from April 2023, now here’s the caveat, subject to the necessary consultation with professional bodies.
“My honourable friend asks me for a cast-iron guarantee – my honourable friend also knows me well enough to know that I don’t make promises that I can’t keep.
“I’m not the responsible minister, but I do know – and I firmly believe – that politics is the art of the possible and as long as I’m a minister of state at the Department of Health I will make sure that the department’s feet are held to the fire to deliver on that April 2023 ambition.
“The reason it has taken longer than any of us would like it to is because in creating this we are and have developed an entirely new system and then we have to create an implementation programme as well; I’d love to have done it quicker.”
About a million women in the UK use HRT for the symptoms of the menopause.
HRT is a treatment which uses oestrogen and progesterone to relieve menopausal symptoms.
These are the two main hormones that naturally deplete during the menopause.
Treatment involves taking either both (combined HRT) or oestrogen-only HRT, depending on the women’s needs.
As the therapy replaces the hormones that the body is lacking, it’s considered to be one of the most effective remedies for ailments including:
There are different ways of taking HRT and it can be administered through tablets, skin patches, gels and vaginal creams, pessaries or rings.
Pressed further, Mr Quince said: “The reason for any potential delay would only be around the consultation that we would need to have.”
Mr Quince earlier said the Government continues to work to improve HRT supplies.
This comes after thousands of women were left without HRT supplies as pharmacies struggled to get hold of stock.
He noted most HRT products now “remain in good supply”.
“Various factors, including increased demand, has led to supply issues with a limited number.
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This has improved significantly recently and we’ve been working hard to ensure women can access the treatment they need,” he explained.
“We’re implementing the recommendations of the HRT supply taskforce and we’re also continuing to use serious shortage protocols where appropriate, but it’s something we keep under very close review,” he added.
