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Penalty charge

D

Dcooperxyz

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi there ,
I am type 1 diabetic and recently recieved a penalty charge notice of £100 as my exemption certificate had expired when I recieved my insulin . I was unaware it had expired and had not been notified and am never asked for my card when I pick up my meds.
I have called them and was told that I had to pay the £100. I can understand entirely that they are trying to catch false claimants but this is very harsh to penalise someone with such a high fine for not realising the certificate had expired . Has anyone else experienced this ? Many thanks
 
They seem to be targetting all Patients with these charges for not having their exemption cards up to date.

Our practice has just had leaflets put out on display warning patients of fines etc for the first time.

Everybody should bear this in mind as they can also charge £50 per item that you have had as well!
 
Dcooperxyz said:
Hi there ,
I am type 1 diabetic and recently recieved a penalty charge notice of £100 as my exemption certificate had expired when I recieved my insulin . I was unaware it had expired and had not been notified and am never asked for my card when I pick up my meds.
I have called them and was told that I had to pay the £100. I can understand entirely that they are trying to catch false claimants but this is very harsh to penalise someone with such a high fine for not realising the certificate had expired . Has anyone else experienced this ? Many thanks
Click to expand...
Thank you for alerting bringing this up.
Sorry to hear about this.
No warning even!
I had had no idea that such a "certificate" was necessary, until I'd spent so long online looking into hypo unawareness etc.,and somewhere on line I heard of it and that we could to get an application form at the Doctor's surgery. Filled it in there and then - they were going to finish off the NHS number, sign it and send it off for us.
Any chance of appealing?
Just found this:
http://staffs-sbs.nhs.uk/patient-verification/faqs
"I've received a letter about paying a penalty because I did not pay NHS charges. What should I do next?
The letter will include a form which allows you to provide more information, and documentation to confirm that you were entitled to claim the specific exemption from NHS charges on that particular date. If possible, please complete and return this form with the appropriate supporting documentation.

Alternatively, if you are unsure about any of the contents of the letter or feel that you need to discuss your position, then please get in touch using the contact details enclosed in the letter.

Once contacted, the Patient Verification team will confirm some of the details outlined in the letter as a security check. A discussion about the details of the case will take place to try and ensure all the facts are documented. Each case is judged on its own merit and dealt with in the strictest confidence.

Alternatively, recipients of a Penalty Notice can contact their nearest branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau to gain further help and guidance."
 
Thanks everyone , the person on the phone told me that because my certificate had expired in march ( I was unaware you had to re new them) I was just as " guilty " as someone fraudulently claiming !!!! So someone who is entitled to exemption and didn't know you had to renew is the same as someone with no medical condition claiming they have an exempt condition ,according to them ?!
 
Also , interestingly re Beaver lees post , my letter said specifically that you must NOT send any documents in and there was no form to fill in , simply a penalty charge and contact number which is the one I called .
 
Okay, on any other certificate the government issues, there is a warning sent out that renewal is required. The card doesn't have a date on it. How are we supposed to remember? I think this is one for the daily mail but we might need a few disabled kids to be fined first...
 
I wonder if this is a fine that can actually be official....

Like lidl car parks etc fine... But they won't take you to court...

Might be worthwhile putting this on moneyexpert forums....

Definitely something that needs to get to the media.....

I don't actually think this fine can be imposed.. Just like lidls carparks...
 
I'm not sure but they told me on the phone and on the letter that it increase another £50 if not paid by a certain time
 
Thats what Lidl carpark do.. Send horrible threatening letters, they say that fines will be increased.....but not official and they won't take non payers of their fines to court... I wonder whether the NHS is actually running this fine system or can actually take these fines to court if unpaid.. Worthwhile checking it out on moneyexpert website....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Remembering back to previous visits to Citizen's Advice.
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By phone
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Write to your local MP - there is an election coming up.

Write to the local newspaper.

You could also try PALS as a route to complain.

Out of interest, which organisation exactly is trying to impose this charge on you?
Is it the local CCG, the local pharmacist, your GP surgery?
Whatever, there seem to be plenty of routes to complain.

Cheers

LGC
 
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