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Medical Exemption Certificate.

People with diabetes and or other medical conditions are only exempt if they have the certificate to say they are exempt. IE you have to apply for that certificate. This is what the NHS state and thus the fines Personally I think a better approach would be a letter to the person who claimed exemption with an application form and 28 days to return it otherwise the fine and charge will be implemented.

Then again as only 20% of people in the UK actually pay for prescriptions, it would be far cheaper to give everyone free prescriptions and save all the paper work and man hours sorting it all out.
 
If anyone is at fault it's the chemist, they should have asked to see the certificate.
I would NOT pay a fine, I would go to court. All diabetic s are exempt paying for prescription
 
Type 1 for 57 years now - since before due to pay for any prescription due to age - Never have had any document for an exemption certificate - never asked for one - never asked to sign for prescriptions Same GP practice for last 27 years -
It has been common knowledge at any medical organisation - Dentist - pharmacy - GP - Hospital that Type 1 diabetics do not pay for prescriptions.

So - if I get any requests relative to prescription payments / fines they will be directed firstly to my GP then invited to take me to court with local and regional press accompanying me with a statement from my consultant confirming the date and diagnosis!

Can anyone provide to location of the relevant legislation?
What a waste of time for NHS backroom staff.
 
millysue said:
If anyone is at fault it's the chemist, they should have asked to see the certificate.
I would NOT pay a fine, I would go to court. All diabetic s are exempt paying for prescription
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No, not all diabetics are exempt. Only those on meds and only those that hold a medical exemption certificate. As I've mentioned previously, I feel sorry for those who've been caught out but why do people insist on blaming everyone else apart from themselves. It is the individuals responsibility to apply for a certificate. It is the individuals responsibility to also ensure it is in date. If you go on holiday with an out of date passport, who do you blame for this ? The rules are really simple.
 
Here is link to guidance Paul:
http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/HealthCosts/2095.aspx
I hear where you'rd coming from but just because your.local pharmacy has never asked to see your certificate does not make it their fault unfortunately. I agree, the current system is not ideal but I'm trying to play devils advocate. My concern is others reading this thread and believing there is no need to apply for medical exemption certificate as it will always be somebody else's fault. That is not the case. It is the individual who must take ownership of this. Yes, you can go to court and blame others but why not just follow current rules ( even if you don't fully agree ) and prevent any further confusion ?
 
I agree the NHS needs to crack down on fraud. Virtually anyone could tick that Medical Exemption box on the back of the prescription form, sign it and receive free medications. At least now they have a mechanism for bringing fraudsters to book, but they should concentrate on the real fraudsters, not those that are entitiled to free medications.
 
Whilst the onus is on us to apply for the MEC, the chemists are supposed to check the card (name, expiry etc) before issuing the drugs. If they all did this, this wouldn't be an issue.
 
Not chemists fault either lol. It is down to the individual to produce the certificate if asked to show it. They have no requirement to ask for it. You tick the prescription and sign to say you hold a medical exemption certificate. Check the back. Still unsure why people keep looking to blame someone else for not applying for the cert.
 
You misinterpreted by comments. I am not trying to blame anyone. What I meant was we go in and sign to say we have a MEC, the chemist checks our card, we get drugs. No card, no drugs! If we have a card that is out of date and we haven't noticed, the chemist when doing their checks, should pick up on it and ask for payment. We would then apply for a new card and fill in form FP57 to reclaim charges.
 
No, I know exactly what you're saying and in an ideal world, this would work.
The flaw is that there is no legal requirement for a chemist to ask to see your certificate, some do, most don't. Similarly, if you signed to say you don't pay for a prescription because you are in receipt of certain benefits, they would not expect to see evidence. I'm not suggesting I agree with this but it's the rules. The onus is on us to ensure we apply for the card, and renew before expiry. It really is that simple. Same with a bus pass, passport, driving license, MoT, disabled badge etc etc. Blaming others may help alleviate frustration but ultimately, the fault lies with the individual.
 
Hi Stu

I have been type 1 for 34yrs. I was under the same belief as you regarding my exemption.
I also have had penalty recently. I have been tempted to pay the fine and be done with it. However I am concerned that it would not stop there. Considering I have put in many hundreds of prescriptions over the years with the "MEC" - how many more might I be sent???
Consequently I am going to fight this. I may not have a legal foot to stand on - but I am going to my utmost to make this issue reach the media.
I am not paying any fine -- I am prepared to go to court -- I am prepared to go to prison.
To put it mildly I am very p****d at this situation.
I am emailing local and National media today. If you have any thoughts on this please let me know.
I am going to try and get together a petition of type 1s who have been given penalty fares.

Regards

Ben
 
Good luck Ben, I hope you get the right result. Keep us informed.
 
I had the same fine, when I contacted them they told me that NHS Business Services had taken over the administration for prescription services and told me about the exemption card. When I became diabetic (4 years ago) my doctor advised me that I receive free prescriptions and to tick the back of the form, nothing about applying for a card.
They told me that doctors can advise but it was my responsiblility to apply for it, my arguament that if I didn't know I had to apply how could I. When I've filled out so many forms relating to being a diabetic why would I deliberatly not apply for the one that allows me to collect my life saving medicine. I paid the fine, spoke to my practice and my doctor wrote to me apologising and admitted he should have made it clearer. I hope he does for future patients.
I called my dad who has been T1 for 50 years and he has never had one either, assumed it was automatic. Sent him straight to surgery to fill out the form.

Good luck to those fighting it.
 
Jamie Reed MP has asked people affected by prescription exemption charges to get in touch. His email address is jamie.reed.mp@parliament.uk. Please share your story with him Secudus. He's planning to raise it at Prime Minister's Questions.
 
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