NHS Prescription Penalty charge notice !

BlakeyGee

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all, new to the forums so a quick introduction:

My names Blake, 22 years old and i've been T1 Diabetic since i was 16, insulin dependant.

Much to my shock today after coming home from work i had a letter on my doorstep from the NHS 'Business Services Authority' making a demand for £96.60 due to not having a valid medical exemption certificate when i claimed a prescription in september 2014.

When i was 16 years old, through to the age of 18 i was entitled to free care due to being in full time education. From this point onwards i assumed that as i was diabetic my prescription costs would be automatically covered by the NHS as we are entitled to free healthcare. I was never told about a certificate i needed to apply for by my healthcare professionals, my doctors or my pharmacy. For the past several years when i've picked up my prescriptions they've merely asked me do i / don't i pay, to which i state i'm a diabetic and they tick a box on the back of the prescription and then prompt me to sign.

So today when this letter dropped through my letterbox you can imagine i was in quite some shock. An advisor told me it's not your condition that entitles you to free prescriptions, but your certificate and that i must pay up. Why should i have to pay a charge for medication that by rights i am entitled to completely free of charge, but because i didn't have a certificate that said so i'm now slapped with a charge of nearly £100.00.

So my question to anybody out there with similar experiences is how i should go forward with this, has anybody ever had a penalty waived ? Either way i'm not paying as i don't see why i should, i've only ever had my diabetes medication on prescription anyway, so why should i pay a penalty of £80.00 designed to protect public funds from those claiming for things they wasn't rightfully entitled to when i am ? I guess i'll see them in court.
 
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softgirl123

Well-Known Member
Messages
58
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, new to the forums so a quick introduction:

My names Blake, 22 years old and i've been T1 Diabetic since i was 16, insulin dependant.

Much to my shock today after coming home from work i had a letter on my doorstep from the NHS 'Business Services Authority' making a demand for £96.60 due to not having a valid medical exemption certificate when i claimed a prescription in september 2014.

When i was 16 years old, through to the age of 18 i was entitled to free care due to being in full time education. From this point onwards i assumed that as i was diabetic my prescription costs would be automatically covered by the NHS as we are entitled to free healthcare. I was never told about a certificate i needed to apply for by my healthcare professionals, my doctors or my pharmacy. For the past several years when i've picked up my prescriptions they've merely asked me do i / don't i pay, to which i state i'm a diabetic and they tick a box on the back of the prescription and then prompt me to sign.

So today when this letter dropped through my letterbox you can imagine i was in quite some shock. An advisor told me it's not your condition that entitles you to free prescriptions, but your certificate and that i must pay up. Why should i have to pay a charge for medication that by rights i am entitled to completely free of charge, but because i didn't have a certificate that said so i'm now slapped with a charge of nearly £100.00.

So my question to anybody out there with similar experiences is how i should go forward with this, has anybody ever had a penalty waived ? Either way i'm not paying as i don't see why i should, i've only ever had my diabetes medication on prescription anyway, so why should i pay a penalty of £80.00 designed to protect public funds from those claiming for things they wasn't rightfully entitled to when i am ? I guess i'll see them in court.

Hi there, you might like to have a look at this thread which is about your problem...

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/prescription-fine.68038/#post-688437
ii am refusing to, pay too.i got one it put me in shock.had onein 03..signed ever since in good faith.never was questioned.it all went wrong when i changed my chemist.i was advised not to pay in new chemist and by a person who was in same situation.applyed straight away when i was aware.i changed address cant be expected to remember what was on letter in 03.we should all stick together.
 
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