Recurring prescription and PPC

andreauk2009

Apologies if this is not the most relevant section, but it looks like there is not a specific area relevant to health queries.

I was reading this article here
www moneysavingexpert com/family/cheap-prescriptions

But there something I can get, so I will draft a series of questions / assertion I hope you can answer.

a) On a single prescription I can't have more than one medicinal. True or False?
b) In a month, I can't get more than 3 medicinal. Does this apply to the same prescription or if I get a second one everything is solved?
c) Each prescription allow me to get the specified quantity of medicinal as stated, but that could be withdrawn all the same time. Let's say I have three eyedrops, but I need one each month. Can I get the first box today, and the other one month each other?
Or once in the pharmacy they will give them all to me at the same time?
d) what is a repeated prescription? It looks like it's different than the PPC.

Many thanks
Andrea

System

a) You can have as many medicines as the doctor will give you on each prescription (I currently get 4)
b)The amount of medicine you get is decided by your doctor. There is no limit to the number of medicines/prescriptions the PPC can be used for each month.
c) You can not split a prescription. If it says 3 of one item then you get that in one go, the pharmacy will not drip feed to you.
d) There is no difference between a repeat prescription and a normal prescription. For a repeat prescription you normally just need to contact your doctor's surgery and ask. It will normally be issued without the requirement to see a doctor.

andreauk2009

Hi !!!!!!,

thanks for the reply. It was very useful, but I'm not able to understand the different between a repeated prescription and a PPC.

I'll tell you what I got from the NHS site.

I go to the doctor, I need some pills and he made me a prescription. I go to the counter, pay my £ 7.40. That's a standard prescription.

If my doctor prescribe me 3 boxes of the same pill, I will get all of them in one go.

However, if this is a repeated prescription, I pay again the prescription just once and will be able to pick up the number of prescribed items for a max of six months.

If this is correct, buying a PPC doesn't really make sense to me. Unless I'm not so ill to require a lot of prescription over a period of time, but I don't know when this may happen and how often.

Is this correct, or am I missing something?

Thanks
Andrea

Biggles

andreauk2009 wrote: »

I'm not able to understand the different between a repeated prescription and a PPC.

A repeat prescription is when you ask the surgery for another prescription to be issued. The items that are available will have been specified by your doctor, ie some things are prescribed on a one-off basis, other things are for long-term conditions and can be available on repeats.

A Prescription Prepayment Certificate is an annual or quarterly 'season ticket'. Once you've paid that, you don't need to pay £7.40 per item any more (note that it's not £7.40 per prescription, but per item on the prescription).

If you were, say, having three items prescribed each month on your repeat prescription, that would be £22.20 each month.

But if you buy a PPC for the year, you just pay £104 and that's it for twelve months.

andreauk2009

Ok, everything start to make sense, but on a repeated prescription, when I go to the pharmacist, provided the example above, should I pay every month or because it is repeated prescription I stick on the first payment only and that will be valid for the first six month?

System

No if you do not have a PPC to show the pharmacist then you have to pay for every prescription whether it is a normal one or repeat.

If you have a PPC then you do not have to pay for any prescriptions.

Biggles

andreauk2009 wrote: »

Ok, everything start to make sense, but on a repeated prescription, when I go to the pharmacist, provided the example above, should I pay every month or because it is repeated prescription I stick on the first payment only and that will be valid for the first six month?

Obviously it isn't starting to make sense.

You seem to have the idea that a repeat prescription is different in some way from a 'normal' prescription. It isn't. It's just a way of making it easier to order your next prescription from your doctor. When you take it to the pharmacy, they neither know nor care whether it's a repeat prescription or not, it's just a prescription and they will want £7.40 for each item on it.

The PPC is a completely different issue and is just a different way of paying for your prescriptions. As the article points out, it's only worth buying one of these if you are likely to have more than 15 items (not prescriptions) in any one year.

malc_b

Let's try an example. You go to the doctor with an infection he prescribes antibiotics plus pain killers. That is on prescription, 2 items, so 2 x 7.40. AFAIK you can choose not to have the pain killers if you want (i.e. they cheaper to buy over the counter).

Now suppose this condition needs treating for a few months (or for life). The doctor will write the prescription that includes an automatic repeat (with a note for it to be reviewed every 6 months say). The prescription form you're given has a second sheet called repeat request. When you have (nearly) used up the first prescription you put in the repeat request to the doctor's and that gets you another prescription with a repeat form. You do NOT have to visit the doctor again. But each time you fill a prescription you pay 7.40 per item.

How much the illness costs you depends on how many items you need and how many pills the doctor prescribes at one time. Some doctors have an automatic 28 day limit, but 28 days is only a DOH guideline to cut down drug wastage. If you are on some drugs for life then the doctor could prescribe 90 days or 180 days worth on one prescription.

Assuming you are paying for a lot of items then a PPC can cut the cost. You can get a 3 month or 1 yr card. NOTE that you can get a 3 month card back dated by up to a month, so if you go to fill a prescription of 4 items, or think you might need 4 items in the next 3 months then ask for a claim back form when you fill that prescription, (or a receipt our pharmacy will just refund the charge if you come back with the receipt and a PPC card).

andreauk2009

@Biggles and Malc_b you have been marvelous. I finally got the difference.

I was in the believe that £7.40 was per prescription regardless the number of items it was containing.

andreauk2009

Last question I swear

Does the £7.40 cost apply per item basis even if in a prescription there are 3 items?

I read this is the maximum items that can be prescribed in a month. Let's say the doctor give me three pack of pills. Should I pay £7.40 only or £22.20?

juno

andreauk2009 wrote: »

Last question I swear

Does the £7.40 cost apply per item basis even if in a prescription there are 3 items?

I read this is the maximum items that can be prescribed in a month. Let's say the doctor give me three pack of pills. Should I pay £7.40 only or £22.20?

If they are the same drug - even in different strengths - you pay one fee.

If they are separate drugs you pay additional fees.

So you tell the doctor about your athletes foot and get one item. That's one fee. Whilst there, you mention your piles. You get another item on the same piece of paper (prescription) but it's a different drug so you pay 2 fees.