Fined for Claming free prescriptions

Brighty

Hi all


Not sure if this is the right board for this but...


Received a letter from the NHS in March stating that I had claimed I was entitled to free prescriptions when I wasn't.


Turns out my pre payment cert had expired and I hadn't noticed (I never get asked to show it when I collect prescriptions and I don't remember seeing the reminder letter I usually get)


I immediately went online and renewed it, backdating it the max 1 month, which covered the ones I picked up in Feb, but not Jan, the month they're doing me for.


They wanted £24.15 for the prescriptions (fair enough) plus £100 fine (how much!!!???).


Annoyed at myself for not noticing it had expired, but even more annoyed at them for the extortionate fine, I ignored it.
A few weeks later, another letter now wanting another £50 surcharge for late payment, on top of the original £124.15, so they now want £174.15 by 17th May or they will start debt recovery proceedings, CCJ etc etc.


Anyone else had one of these before? Did you just pay up?


Bearing in mind I don't remember receiving a reminder letter that it was about to run out, plus the fact that the chemist never asks to see the card, do I have a case for getting the fine removed or reduced??


Like bank fines, can I argue that the £150 fine is not proportionate to their costs/losses?


Really can't afford £174 right now


Thanks


Brighty

brook2jack

I'm afraid , the same as dental charges, it is ultimately your responsibility and no one else's to check that if you claim exemption from charges and sign the forms to say you are claiming that you actually are.

In my experience there are many more people being picked up on this and if in any doubt pay and claim the money back later.

You have no choice you will have to pay, the longer you leave it the more it's going to cost you.

The most common reason for people to get these fines is because they are receiving eg contributions based jsa which doesn't give free treatment, not income based jsa which does or pension credit not guaranteed pension credit. The rules are complex but it is your responsibility to make sure if you claim free treatment you are entitled to do so.

The chemist/optician/dentist is not responsible for knowing exactly which exemptions give free treatment but will have posters or leaflets so you can check your entitlement.

brook2jack

This is the declaration you sign on back of prescription. It clearly says that fines may be imposed. It also has a box so the pharmacy can confirm they have not checked for evidence. It is absolutely not the responsibility of the pharmacy etc to check you are entitled to free prescriptions , it is yours. As is said on the NHS website you have responsibilities as well as rights.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/attachments/back_of_script-jpg.11604/

Floss

So because the state doesn't send a reminder to anyone, you allowed your exemption certificate to expire and now think that being fined, and then having a surcharge added to your fine is unreasonable?

It wouldn't be £174 if you had paid the fine in the first place. And it wouldn't have happened if you had kept a note of when it was due to expire, like most people do. And if you DON'T pay, a CCJ could cost you a whole lot more.

Grow up and take some responsibility for your life instead of blaming the chemists staff for not asking for sight of it. As advised, you are signing a legal declaration on the reverse of a prescription form, so no, the level of fine is not extortionate, but is in line with other breaches.

pattycake

A hard lesson to learn. Sadly, just pay up and be mark your calendar or diary in the future.

Maybe someone else on this site reading your story will be aware of the consequences of claiming for free prescriptions when not entitled.

Personally, I am happy that the NHS is tackling this issue.

wiltsguy_2

pattycake wrote: »

Personally, I am happy that the NHS is tackling this issue.

Me too! So many people abuse the system!

System

Can you phone and ask if they will take the payments a little at a time so that you don't have to pay the full whack all at once?

Anglea

Brighty,

I assume you are not on benefits as the others believe and have paid for your certificate because you receive a number of different prescriptions a month and this works out cheaper.

I've occasionally bought the 3 month ones and have noticed that I rarely get asked to show it

However, not looking at the expiry date and using it is the same as an out of date bus pass and getting caught.

Maybe you could try Citizen's Advice if they are adding fines to the original one.

Brighty

Thanks for the replies all


Anglea, correct, I'm not on any benefit, I pay for a yearly pre-payment card as I am on 3 different BP meds and have been for 12 yrs or so, so 3 prescriptions per month, so cheaper that way.


As an aside, I wish the UK could have equal prescription charges, Wales & Scotland free, England charged, I get 1 months worth of each med per prescription charge up here in Co Durham, so 36 charges per year if i paid as i went, when i lived in Berkshire, i got 2 months worth per charge, so half the cost per year. Consistency and fair charging please.


I too am glad the NHS is clamping down on fraudulent claims and I guess i'll have to suck it up and pay. I just find the fine a bit excessive in my case when I've been paying for a yearly pre-payment card for the last 12 years or so, and 1 slip up on renewing and I'm hit with a fine nearly 1.5 times the cost of the yearly card. It's not like i did it on purpose to avoid paying for a prescription or 2. Plus the adding of a surcharge when not paid within 2 weeks just reminds me of parking fine tactics used by private parking companies.


Brighty

System

No reason to allow it to lapse. If you pay by DD it auto-renews unless you tell them otherwise.

Brighty

I've done that now, but that must be new, don't remember ever having that option before.
Brighty