prescriptions for babies.

GlasweJen

eMAS (minor ailments) is for minor problems such as bad nappy rash when teething and the like. It isn't to supply you with free stuff that you can't be bothered buying yourself. You can get basic paracetamol, ibuprofen, cream for bad nappy rash (not just a bit of redness), infacol (but not gripe water), teething gel and stuff for mild eczema or childhood illnesses that don't require a doctor (like calamine lotion for chicken pox, headlice creams etc).

It is not an opportunity to get free stuff that will lie in your cupboard. Our pharmacy requires you to bring the child in for the pharmacist to have a look at (since they are the ones who are prescribing, you wouldn't expect the doctor to give you a prescription without seeing you). Many parents are sent away with advice that they don't want ("we think your child needs to see a doctor" is particularly unpopular). We can't give out calpol for the nursery to use "just in case" (though we can if the child has a temperature but is still going to childminders/nursery).

We also get parents who blatantly are trying to get stuff for themselves through the child (how many kids do you know prefer tablets to syrups at 2 years old?).

You can only register with one pharmacy for MAS, the pharmacist can refuse to give out things willy nilly and our policy is if you need the same item more than once you will be sent to a doctor as the illness would be chronic and not simply a minor ailment.

faerie_girl

onlyroz wrote: »

One tub of sudocrem will last years, so I hope you haven't bought too much...

We've still got 4 tubs of nappy cream, 3 bottles of talc and numerous bottles of baby oil that people bought 2 year on. Never really used any of it. We've only just finished a bottle of shampoo from when he was a few weeks old lol.

Might let him make some potions in the garden in the summer, get it used up and make some room under the sink!

GlasweJen

faerie_girl wrote: »

We've still got 4 tubs of nappy cream, 3 bottles of talc and numerous bottles of baby oil that people bought 2 year on. Never really used any of it. We've only just finished a bottle of shampoo from when he was a few weeks old lol.

Might let him make some potions in the garden in the summer, get it used up and make some room under the sink!

My sister had this problem, giving it away to pregnant friends helped. If the nappy cream is sudocream then keep it for holidays abroad as the stuff is excellent for soothing sunburn! Bepanthem will be gladly taken off you by friends who get tattoos done, baby oil is excellent for moisturising at night, can't think of anything to do with the talc though.

tiamai_d

GlasweJen wrote: »

eMAS (minor ailments) is for minor problems such as bad nappy rash when teething and the like. It isn't to supply you with free stuff that you can't be bothered buying yourself. You can get basic paracetamol, ibuprofen, cream for bad nappy rash (not just a bit of redness), infacol (but not gripe water), teething gel and stuff for mild eczema or childhood illnesses that don't require a doctor (like calamine lotion for chicken pox, headlice creams etc).

It is not an opportunity to get free stuff that will lie in your cupboard. Our pharmacy requires you to bring the child in for the pharmacist to have a look at (since they are the ones who are prescribing, you wouldn't expect the doctor to give you a prescription without seeing you). Many parents are sent away with advice that they don't want ("we think your child needs to see a doctor" is particularly unpopular). We can't give out calpol for the nursery to use "just in case" (though we can if the child has a temperature but is still going to childminders/nursery).

We also get parents who blatantly are trying to get stuff for themselves through the child (how many kids do you know prefer tablets to syrups at 2 years old?).

You can only register with one pharmacy for MAS, the pharmacist can refuse to give out things willy nilly and our policy is if you need the same item more than once you will be sent to a doctor as the illness would be chronic and not simply a minor ailment.

My Pharmacist is awesome. When my boys had chicken pox and got some very sore spots down there, he gave me some local antisthetic gel for catheter insertion. Saved all our lives that week (I was ready for killing us all after no sleep and two boys who screamed when they pee'd).

I agree that it is a very useful service that shouldn't be abused.

Talk is good for when they spill the baby oil all over their carpet!

craftdaft

We use the minor ailment scheme and it's great. The way it works in our chemists is we describe the symptoms and they suggest what might work. We've been given gripe water under the MAS (maybe because we're in Scotland it's different?) and yesterday discovered that we could get Teetha for teething - had a difficult time and was using paracetamol and ibuprofen already and didn't want to continue with loads of drugs if there were other alternatives :eek:

I think it would be easy to take advantage off - I felt really guilty getting a pack of paracetamol for myself when they only cost pennies but I was eligible and skint. I don't abuse it because the way I see it is if lots of people do that then it'll be scrapped. I sometimes get caught out and end up buying calpol, etc outwith the scheme anyway.

In Scotland pregnant women are eligible (and continue to be until child is 1 year old) - saved a fortune in Gaviscon when pregnant :rotfl: Also OAPs and people with certain medical conditions can use MAS - might be worth checking because it can save lots of money as it covers most minor conditions, eg. indigestion, colds, hayfever, constipation, nits, thrush, etc. I think people with low incomes can also be eligible but not so sure about that one.

GlasweJen

eMAS in Scotland is free to anyone who does not pay for their prescriptions except those who are category E exempt (pre-payment certificate because they do pay at some point).

The formulary varies between health boards (Lanarkshire don't give gripe water but do give infacol), the stuff you get is at the pharmacists discretion. We usually look at the kid, get a list of their symptoms, a list of their other medications and then go from there.

I don't agree with using minor ailments for anything less than the £3 prescription charge, your 17p box of paracetamol cost the tax payer £11.72! If we keep going at that rate there wont be an eMAS service soon.

craftdaft

GlasweJen wrote: »

I don't agree with using minor ailments for anything less than the £3 prescription charge, your 17p box of paracetamol cost the tax payer £11.72! If we keep going at that rate there wont be an eMAS service soon.

I feel awful now If I'd known that I would have hunted around the house to scrape together the 40-odd pence (rural chemist - paracetamol def costs more than 17p here). Why does it cost so much to fund (sorry if I'm being stupid)? I assumed that the scheme only paid the actual cost of the item? As soon as I was back at work I didn't use the scheme for myself and some items for DD I just get, eg. HV said she needed emulsifying ointment (and to get it under MAS) due to angry red patch on her face, as it was £1.50 I just got it myself (which I'm glad about now I know how much it actually costs).

MrsE_2

GlasweJen wrote: »

eMAS in Scotland is free to anyone who does not pay for their prescriptions except those who are category E exempt (pre-payment certificate because they do pay at some point).

The formulary varies between health boards (Lanarkshire don't give gripe water but do give infacol), the stuff you get is at the pharmacists discretion. We usually look at the kid, get a list of their symptoms, a list of their other medications and then go from there.

I don't agree with using minor ailments for anything less than the £3 prescription charge, your 17p box of paracetamol cost the tax payer £11.72! If we keep going at that rate there wont be an eMAS service soon.

I don't agree with using the doctor as a free medicine outlet.

Doctors shouldn't be allowed to prescribe anything that can be bought over the counter.

Not only does it cost the NHS far in excess of the product value, but their is the waste of doctors time when people use them in this way.

MrsE_2

craftdaft wrote: »

We use the minor ailment scheme and it's great. The way it works in our chemists is we describe the symptoms and they suggest what might work. We've been given gripe water under the MAS (maybe because we're in Scotland it's different?) and yesterday discovered that we could get Teetha for teething - had a difficult time and was using paracetamol and ibuprofen already and didn't want to continue with loads of drugs if there were other alternatives :eek:

I think it would be easy to take advantage off - I felt really guilty getting a pack of paracetamol for myself when they only cost pennies but I was eligible and skint. I don't abuse it because the way I see it is if lots of people do that then it'll be scrapped. I sometimes get caught out and end up buying calpol, etc outwith the scheme anyway.

In Scotland pregnant women are eligible (and continue to be until child is 1 year old) - saved a fortune in Gaviscon when pregnant :rotfl: Also OAPs and people with certain medical conditions can use MAS - might be worth checking because it can save lots of money as it covers most minor conditions, eg. indigestion, colds, hayfever, constipation, nits, thrush, etc. I think people with low incomes can also be eligible but not so sure about that one.

I thought pregnant women couldn't take medication unless prescribed by a doctor?

galvanizersbaby

MrsE wrote: »

I thought pregnant women couldn't take medication unless prescribed by a doctor?

Depends what the medication is I think - Gaviscon for indigestion is available over the counter and without prescription as is paracetamol - both of which are classed as safe to take in pregnancy.