Barts Health Hospital Prescription Charge

stevemLS

Patients who are treated in A&E are not in-patients.

visidigi

gallaghb wrote: »

Hardly free of charge is it, I pay £6500 per year in NI.

I'm not bothered about paying £8 – we paid £8 the day after for the prescription. The prescription they are trying to charge her for was never provided. If any of you would pay for a prescription you weren't given then I think you are on the wrong forum.

She was given a prescription implying she was not is totally wrong. She was given a smaller dose than indicated - there's an admin error in the 7 days dose notes, my understanding from my visit was I was told to take the dose they give and if there was still a need for more I was to consult with my GP and obtain a new prescription. A&E informed me they were not there to dispense courses of drugs, just enough to get through to the normal operating hours of my GP.

A prescription can be any dose. 2 days or over 30, its still the same charge. Flat rate.

tomtontom

gallaghb wrote: »

Hardly free of charge is it, I pay £6500 per year in NI.

I'm not bothered about paying £8 – we paid £8 the day after for the prescription. The prescription they are trying to charge her for was never provided. If any of you would pay for a prescription you weren't given then I think you are on the wrong forum.

You were charged for prescribed medicines, yes?

Do you think your NI goes purely to the NHS, that it sits there waiting for you to fall ill?

gallaghb

tomtontom wrote: »

You were charged for prescribed medicines, yes?

Do you think your NI goes purely to the NHS, that it sits there waiting for you to fall ill?

Obviously not, where did I say that? You said she had received 'emergency care free of charge' – that's not true regardless of the prescription charge.

IMO it is wrong for a hospital to prescribe 7 days of medicine and then provide 2 days worth. If they had stated this was their intention she would have said no give me a prescription and I'll go to a pharmacy and get 7 days worth. Rather than pay £8 on consecutive days...

tomtontom

gallaghb wrote: »

Obviously not, where did I say that? You said she had received 'emergency care free of charge' – that's not true regardless of the prescription charge.

IMO it is wrong for a hospital to prescribe 7 days of medicine and then provide 2 days worth. If they had stated this was their intention she would have said no give me a prescription and I'll go to a pharmacy and get 7 days worth. Rather than pay £8 on consecutive days...

It does not work like that - you do not dictate how much is prescribed.

I truly hope you are not going to waste NHS resources by complaining about this - that would be miserly and downright ungrateful.

gallaghb

tomtontom wrote: »

It does not work like that - you do not dictate how much is prescribed.

I truly hope you are not going to waste NHS resources by complaining about this - that would be miserly and downright ungrateful.

No the doctor dictates how much is prescribed and then the pharmacy dispenses it – except they didn't.

Not going to write a letter. She is going to call them tomorrow to attempt to make them see sense in all of this. So we'll probably end up paying it.

Don't even get me started on the fact that according to this letter the only way to pay is to go back to the hospital and use the machines and presumably pay £2 for 30 mins parking.

sillyvixen

gallaghb wrote: »

My wife was sent to A+E on Thursday last week after seeing her GP. She was admitted to a Major Trauma unit, had blood tests etc. Was given the ok and discharged the same day and given some steroids and was told to take the rest and given instructions on how many to take etc. It was only 2 days worth so she has since paid for a prescription for another weeks worth.

Today in the post have had a bill from the hospital for the prescription charge for the 2 days worth of steroids provided. Surely the cost of medication given whilst in hospital should be paid for by the NHS? Does anyone know whether this is correct - I can't find anything to clarify but it just doesn't seem right. Surely they should have at least given a weeks worth of the steroids.

The prescription they have attached a copy of to the letter even mentions a 7 day duration...
The letter mentions posters that tell you you have to pay and machines to pay at the exit.

happend to me 18 months ago, i was given pain relief before i had and x-ray as i was in too much pain to get into the correct position for an shoulder and arm x-ray. a fractured shoulder was diagnosed and i was put in a collar and cuff and it was implied that as they had opened a pack of pain relief i may as well have the rest (20 tablets - take 2 every 4-6 hours) no mention was made to prescription or payment - no posters or signs up about prescription charges. i left with an appointment for fracture clinic.
i received the prescription bill several days later - not even a copy of prescription. i don't think they inform you as you would request 7 days cover minimum.

Poppie68

OP did you wife go to the hospital pharmacy herself with a prescription stating 7 day course but then handed a 2 day course, or was she handed the 2 day course while still in A&E and handed a prescription stating a 7 day course to take to an outside pharmacy?

gallaghb

Poppie68 wrote: »

OP did you wife go to the hospital pharmacy herself with a prescription stating 7 day course but then handed a 2 day course, or was she handed the 2 day course while still in A&E and handed a prescription stating a 7 day course to take to an outside pharmacy?

Handed 2 days of medication in A+E with no paperwork but told verbally by a doctor to take for 7 days x amount twice a day. Only received a copy of prescription, which says duration 7 days, in post with a letter requesting payment.
Realised when she was home after A+E that wasn't given enough medication for 7 days so called her GP who then prescribed more, then she went to collect this from local pharmacy.

Poppie68

gallaghb wrote: »

Handed 2 days of medication in A+E with no paperwork but told verbally by a doctor to take for 7 days x amount twice a day. Only received a copy of prescription, which says duration 7 days, in post with a letter requesting payment.
Realised when she was home after A+E that wasn't given enough medication for 7 days so called her GP who then prescribed more, then she went to collect this from local pharmacy.

I can understand why you are not happy as you are paying twice for one single course of steriods.
There is also the problem of wastage, your GP should of only given a 5 day supply as your wife had already been given the 2 day... If all medical professionals or support staff were afforded the time or chance to check small things like this then there would be less of a reason for the NHS to start charging for something that until recently they were not charging for.
I wouldn't be happy either even though i would be grateful for the care i would be pretty peeved at paying double the going rate for the prescribed amount of medication.