ON APRIL 1, prescription charges in England increased by 20p from £8.20 to £8.40.

A 20p increase may not seem much, but the reality is that people with asthma tell us they've had to choose between paying for their prescriptions and paying for food, fuel and household bills.

Any barrier to life-saving medication has the potential to put the lives of millions people with asthma at risk, and people with asthma shouldn’t be forced to pay for the prescriptions they need and rely on.

We are continuing with our campaign to put an end to prescription charges for everyone with a long-term condition as part of the Prescription Charges Coalition.

Until prescription charges are ended, we want the government to raise awareness of schemes such as the Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPCs) are effectively prescription "season tickets", which save money for patients who are regularly prescribed a number of prescription items.

If you would like further information on PPCs, please call our expert asthma nurse helpline on 0300 222 5800.

If you are having an attack and your reliever inhaler is not helping, you should always call 999 immediately.

Kay Boycott, Chief executive, Asthma UK.