Hello All,
Sorry if this has already been posted but the following link may give more of an insight into why people are only now receiving fines.
The following can be found on the Diabetes UK website.
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to...ates»&utm_campaign=February+e-newsletter+2015
Here is a copy and paste:
Diabetes UK home page
Free prescriptions
Free prescriptions (England)
If you use insulin or medicine to manage your diabetes you're entitled to free prescriptions but if you’re under 60 and living in England you must have a medical exemption certificate before you can claim them.
Prescriptions are free for everybody in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Why you need a certificate to get free prescriptions
A recent crackdown on people with diabetes claiming free prescriptions without a certificate has led to them being fined. By claiming a free prescription without a certificate you risk being fined up to £100.
What to do if you've been issued with a fine.
What to do if you haven’t got a certificate
If you don't have a medical exemption certificate and you want to claim free prescriptions then you will need to get a form to apply for the certificate from your doctor’s surgery.
The application form for the certificate is called FP92A. You will need to fill it in then your doctor will sign it and send it off.
If you do not have a certificate or your application for one has not yet been processed then you will need to pay for your prescription. Make sure you ask your pharmacist for a FP57 receipt and refund claim form and you will be able to claim the money back once your certificate has been issued. This is because the medical exemption certificate is backdated one month from when it is issued.
Once issued a certificate lasts for five years. Once you are registered for a certificate you should receive a reminder letter a month before it runs out.
Why haven’t I heard about this before?
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) issues and renews medical exemption certificates. It took over issuing reminders in 2002. If you were registered for a certificate then or have been registered since then you should receive reminders about the need to have an up to date certificate. However, if you did not have a certificate in 2002 then you will not be on the NHS BSA’s system and you will not have received any reminder letters.
Likewise, if you have moved since the last time you registered and did not update them with your address then you will also not have received any reminders. It is down to pharmacists to check you have the certificate and given everyone who uses insulin or takes medicine for their diabetes is entitled to free prescriptions checking has not always been thorough.
Why are lots of people being fined now?
Diabetes UK met with the NHS BSA to discuss this. We found out that the responsibility for checking exemption from paying prescriptions was transferred to the NHS BSA in 2014. This had previously been done locally and the NHS BSA are using a much more thorough system than previously. Unfortunately, this has resulted in lots of people who have had diabetes for a long time, without ever realising they needed a certificate, being issued with a fine.
What is Diabetes UK doing?
We are making sure people who live with diabetes know that they must have a certificate to claim free prescriptions.
We’d welcome your help with this too. Please spread the word to other people you know who also have diabetes. Send them this link and share our Facebook posts and tweets about the problem.
We are also speaking to the NHS BSA about ways they can make the current system fairer. We believe it is unfair that people who had no idea they needed a certificate and have never been sent a reminder about it are being fined.
We want the NHS BSA to first issue warnings to people who have diabetes and have claimed for a free prescription without a certificate. We also think they should refund those people who have been fined.
The NHS BSA are now carrying out their own awareness raising campaign but for many people it is too late. We would like a period of grace so the need for certificates for people with diabetes can be properly communicated to them.
What to do if you have been issued with a fine
Call: If you have been issued with a fine and received no reminder letter then we recommend calling the NHS BSA and explaining this to them. You can call them on 0300 330 9291.
Tell us: Hearing your stories will help inform our work with the NHS BSA and give us a clearer idea of the extent of the problem for people with diabetes. We are also looking for case studies to help us demonstrate that the changes to the way the system operates means people with diabetes are being fined unfairly. Please get in contact. Ring *0345 123 2399 or email the policy team at
[email protected]
Write: We would also suggest raising this with your MP. We have created a template letter (Word, 10KB) for you to use which explains what has happened, leaves space for you to include your own story and asks your MP to write to the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt. You can find your MP and their contact details here.
Further information
To pay a fine, see the rules on having a certificate or to contact the service, go to the medical exemption certificate page on the NHS NBA website.
*Calls to 0345 numbers cost no more than calls to geographic (01 and 02) numbers and must be included in inclusive minutes on mobile phones and discount schemes. Calls from landlines are typically charged between 2p and 10p per minute while calls from mobiles typically cost between 10p and 40p per minute. Calls from landlines and mobiles to 0345 numbers are included in free call packages.
Calls may be recorded for quality and training purposes.
Find out about medical exemption certificates including paying fines for not having one, on the NHS website
Check the rules on free prescriptions and other costs on the NHS website
Downloads
Template letter to MP (Word, 10KB)
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