It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

YoungBlueEyes

Yeah it was a quick look but that’s recent enough to be useful, surely. 

euronorris

Wow. 90% is a large proportion. Though, having looked at the exemptions list on the NHS website, it's not really surprising. The list is extensive, and over 60s are free (as well as children). That's a significant portion of the population. 

Well, I'm glad it's available in our country.

Auntycaz

euronorris said:

I have the standard pre-payment certificate. Rarely use it in autumn/winter, but I see the saving in Spring and Summer with all the hayfever meds, so worth it for me. Again, it was one charge per item and with tablets, nasal spray and eye drops it gets very expensive!

There are many exemptions for paying. Children, pregnancy, if you're on certain benefits, contraceptive pills are free and I think medication for certain conditions.

I always had a prepayment prescription certificate until I turned 60 when they became free. When I worked in a pharmacy I always told customers about them. Some people had been paying for 3 or 4 items a month and nobody had told them about it before. You can also pay for them by 10 monthly direct debits instead of paying the full amount at once, You can also get a 3 monthly prepayment certficate if you need medication for a short time.

DiamondLil

YorksLass said:

@joedenise - Like you, I'm a bit of a "throw it all in" kind of cook so it can vary according to what I have in stock.  This is the basic though, to feed 2-3 people - and there might be some left over (depending on portion size) that can be frozen for another day.  If it's just a small amount I use it as a jacket potato topping or as a filling for a wrap or pitta pocket with some salad and a dollop of mayo.

200-250g mince beef - dry fry first so you can drain off the fat
1 medium sized onion - finely chopped
1 bell pepper - diced (preferably red, but any colour will do)
Handful of frozen peas
2 medium sized potatoes, diced small
1 jar of ready made Jalfrezi sauce (I like Pataks.  The most expensive part of the dish  )

Throw everything into SC and cook on low for about 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally, and add a bit of water if it's getting a bit too thick.  Serve with boiled rice or naans.  Other suggested additions: handful of sultanas or a small diced dessert apple, half a tin of chickpeas, sliced mushrooms, broccoli or cauliflower florets, sliced green beans - whatever takes your fancy!

Curry and Mayo... a match made in heaven. I've been known to have leftover curry on crackers, topped with a good dollop of mayo, for lunch. It's often been my getting-over-a-nasty-cold supper too (if available).

GaleSF63

If you get a prescription every 2 months with a pre-payment certificate, get your first prescription at the same time as the certificate, then get the 7th one slightly earlier than usual so it comes within the year. Then don't get the next certificate until the next prescription is needed. That way a yearly certificate effectively lasts 14 months. 

GaleSF63

Longwalker said:

We have had shortages for weeks, and I think I posted a couple of weeks back about £1 for a cucumber.

So now its time to get creative ladies. I have never relied on summer veg ( salad) as it usually lingers in the fridge

White cabbage - shred it - better then lettuce. Grated Carrots. Diced beets, red or any colour onions, jars of peppers, gherkins, sun dried tomatoes, olives. sweet corn. - all goes to make a great salad 

Buying jared veg is a lot cheaper then fresh as there is less waste, Using white cabbage - it can be used in so many dishes

Mind its not just salad veg we haven't seen here for a while, brassicas have also been in short supply and extremely expensive and pretty pee poor for size and quality 

Also tinned fruit - mandarin oranges great in coleslaw; peach slices great with cottage cheese. 

Slinky

I've had a number of prescriptions recently, and still have to pay. Never when the person hands me the prescription do they ask for payment. I have to mention it. I feel like they're trying to catch me out. I wonder how many people walk away without paying. It's not like I look much older than I am either!

Prescription charges are a tax on some of the English sick.

Longwalker

GaleSF63 said:

Longwalker said:

We have had shortages for weeks, and I think I posted a couple of weeks back about £1 for a cucumber.

So now its time to get creative ladies. I have never relied on summer veg ( salad) as it usually lingers in the fridge

White cabbage - shred it - better then lettuce. Grated Carrots. Diced beets, red or any colour onions, jars of peppers, gherkins, sun dried tomatoes, olives. sweet corn. - all goes to make a great salad 

Buying jared veg is a lot cheaper then fresh as there is less waste, Using white cabbage - it can be used in so many dishes

Mind its not just salad veg we haven't seen here for a while, brassicas have also been in short supply and extremely expensive and pretty pee poor for size and quality 

Also tinned fruit - mandarin oranges great in coleslaw; peach slices great with cottage cheese. 

Over here we tend to like jelly in a salad

Yes, sounds gross, I couldn't get my head around it either till I tried it either

So grated carrot in an orange jelly, beetroot in a blackcurrant and cucumber in lime. And they are really nice 

Also as you say, fruit on a salad in delish. 

Bluegreen143

We don’t have prescription charges here in Scotland so I wonder if the population of Scotland is included in the % who don’t pay as that would skew the figures?

Longwalker

Bluegreen143 said:

We don’t have prescription charges here in Scotland so I wonder if the population of Scotland is included in the % who don’t pay as that would skew the figures?

We dont have them in Northern Ireland and I think nor does Wales . So basically England is paying for the rest of us

If we all paid, the charge should go down and those that dont pay anyway wouldn't be affected