Proof of JSA

METAL_MICKEY

Heycock wrote: »

We've had NHS exemption cards for a couple of years now and I've never been asked to produce them. I'm in the pharmacy every week for wife's medication and they just look at the back of the script and accept the statement. Same at the dentist...I just sign the form. I'm exempt from eyesight test fees anyway because of a family history of glaucoma but I get the glasses voucher.
The pharmacist, dentist and optician are actually under no obligation to check but they are expected to report you if they have any reason to suspect fraud. NHS run NI numbers through the system to cross check entitlement. I don't know how routine this is or whether it is at random but this is what my dentist told me.
If you're found to have lied or mistakenly believed you were entitled you get a penalty and have to repay the cost of treatment.
An example of this is that a lot of WTC claimants think this entitles them to free services. It doesn't, unless it includes the disability element

Just seen METAL MICKEY's earlier thread on this forum ...He/she explains it better than I could. Seems to actually know something about it!

Thanks for the name check.

As per some of my recent threads there is a paradox in that dentists are supposed to ask for evidence of the qualifying benefit but they are in no way accountable for any poor advice that results in you making an incorrect claim. The dentists themselves are caught between a "rock & a hard place". They are correct in asserting that they and their staff are not responsible for managing patients benefits but yet a whole of info is thrown at them advising as to what constitutes valid evidence. DOH!

The "asking for evidence" procedure is in reality purely a real time deterrent exercise to put the wind up people who are thinking of knowingly make a an incorrect declaration i.e. fraud.

brook2jack

The reality is the government asks dentists,pharmacists etc to work as unpaid tax collectors, they also have to provide any staff training on their own time at their own expense.

unfortunately the plethora of information is often inaccurate, wrong or out of date eg the vast majority of dentists only find out new NHS fees when they are published in newspapers , often after they have come in and official notification and posters are often provided weeks after the date.

The average NHS course of treatment has up to nine different forms /paper to be filled out . Most of which are CLINICALLY very important and dentists and their nurses (receptionists are often dental nurses too) train years to get these right. The average dental practice in the UK is 300 more regulated than anywhere else in the world with a ton of paperwork associated.

NHS charges are naturally important to patients but they have to take responsibility for thier own claims and entitlement. the average NHS dentist will see 40 plus patients a day a four handed practice will see 800 people a week dealt with by two receptionists who also have to take payments, phone calls enquiries etc. They do not have the time, knowledge to be experts in benefits and cannot take liability if, through no fault of their own they give wrong advice.

PCT/benefit and other administrative staff are trained, in theory, in exemptions and it is utterly unfair to expect an overburdened and time stretched NHS practice to take on yet another service.

Metalmickey may think their prepared script takes little time to go through but when a NHS practice is in the market for a dental bonding material that sets in 20 sec rather than 1 minute because they are under such time pressure , they may understand that most practices do not give out advice on benefits and dental charges other than to refer people to websites or benefit offices as they cannot afford the time or staff to provide advice on this to 160 people a day as well as do dentistry.