Reimbursement of medical costs

GreaterLondon

Hi all
I have a chronic health condition, am severly disabled, currently on ESA and PIP and exempt from paying for my medications and dressings. However, my pharmacy (and boots+tesco) have a re occurring problem with the supplier my dressings come from. The script goes in but there is no saying when they arrive. I can't go without (have operations every few month) and therefore often have to resort to ordering them from Amazone or an online Pharmacy and paying for them myself. 🤔 I was wondering if there is any option of claiming these costs back ? I doubt it but I thought I ask as its a serious financial strain. 

swingaloo

I very much doubt you can claim those cost back but have you spoken to your GP about prescribing a different dressing if the one they are prescribing now is not readily available. 

DullGreyGuy

Does the online Pharmacy do NHS work too? 

We've had a couple of private prescriptions that Boots etc have struggled with but there are online pharmacies that are much better at securing stock. Most of them do NHS and Private so could just replace your Boots/Tesco preference. 

If you'd prefer to stick to a bricks and mortar pharmacy speak to your pharmacist. Ordinarily the GP will prescribe generics, the NHS has a fixed price they pay for each item and the pharmacy pays whatever their supplier charges them... this normally means they go for the cheapest available and they gain the difference between the two prices (there's also a prescribing fee). Sometimes there are higher cost branded versions available but then they are buying for a higher price than they're selling which is ok occasionally but not routinely.

If your GP prescribes the branded version then the NHS pays a higher price and the pharmacy has more cash to use to buy it (though if the tables reverse and the branded has a problem and generic is free supply they cannot just give you the generic when the Doc has asked for the branded). 

I've had it before where the pharmacist recommended a branded option they could get easily and the GP eventually agreed to switch. 

I very much doubt there is an option for them to reimburse your personal expenses