NHS prescriptions

wannabewriter

Lively thread on the helplines forum, thought I'd bring it to the mainstream.

Free prescriptions in Wales and Scotland, some people get free in England, others have to pay (increasing costs, I might add).

Thoughts? Go!

magenta

Hi,
I live in Scotland. I think we should be paying for prescriptions but not as much as £7-is that what it is in England? I have had a pre-payment cert. for years so I've forgotten how much it was per item. People with long term conditions shouldn't pay. Not fair that others in UK have to pay,
Magenta x

dreamdaisy

There are two extant threads about it, one on helplines and one on chitchat. It's an unfair system but as the vast majority of people now don't pay I am certain no-one will have the gumption to change it. DD

keith1971

I don't mind paying, I just want something that works.

dreamdaisy

It may help you to research the pre-payment certificate scheme, if the number of prescribed meds you take increases. It's £104 for the year, which can be spread over 10 monthly payments, or you can get a quarterly certificate for just under £30. As I routinely trudge out of the chemnist with a bulging carrier bag of goodies it does make the whole thing more palateable. DD

cthornley

A wonderful pharmacist at boots a while back refused to let me go without purchasing a pre-payment certificate when I had gone in with one of my usual mega scripts....she told me she wouldn't let me be so barmy and waste my money :oops: I had about 6 or 7 items on monthly refill
I love that lady and i've been buying a yearly one ever since ....thankfully as i'm now on 8!!!! :shock: :shock:

I wish however it was pushed and advertised to people with long term conditions....none of my doctors thought to mention it and neither did my dr husband :roll: sometimes they are too busy doing other stuff to notice the practicalities

Chrissie

tjt6768

Oooh, who is this mysterious Geordie in a white van? Lol

dreamdaisy

Of course they don't trumpet the scheme - the more that use it the greater the deficit between the cost of the drugs that are issued and the revenue that comes in. I think it's about 10% of people who pay so those of us that do are supporting 90% that don't. Of course they keep the existence of the PPC quiet. DD

scozzie

I'm Aussie living in Scotland, and I only found out about PPCs a year after I emigrated here. I'm an asthmatic and one time I needed five prescriptions in the one hit – the young lady behind the counter took my payment for five separate items. It was only when the pharmacist queried me about one of my drugs that he also mentioned about a PPC to me. What made matters worse was my then partner's daughter worked in the chemist part-time and never once mentioned it to me.
I also find some of the rules abut who pays and who doesn't rather weird ... someone with an underactive thyroid doesn't pay, and someone with an overactive thyroid does!
I feel in Scotland we should be paying something toward the cost of the prescriptions in this economic climate.

Laurie

dreamdaisy

The gift of free prescriptions has only recently been granted to Scotland and you can bet your bottom dollar it wll never be rescinded. The Scots may dislike the English (and perhaps with some reason when you look back over the history) but for all the talk of devoloution they wouldn't dare go the extra bit and actually devolve - where would all their lovely handouts go? Same goes for the Welsh. Us English are mugs and as such are regularly mugged. DD

rebecca1

dreamdaisy wrote:

The gift of free prescriptions has only recently been granted to Scotland and you can bet your bottom dollar it wll never be rescinded. The Scots may dislike the English (and perhaps with some reason when you look back over the history) but for all the talk of devoloution they wouldn't dare go the extra bit and actually devolve - where would all their lovely handouts go? Same goes for the Welsh. Us English are mugs and as such are regularly mugged. DD

Erm....bit of an offensive post there....
I'm Scottish and I don't hate English people. I would break from England sure but not because I don't think we would miss *the handouts*....You are happy to take our oil.
As for the English being *mugs* well I can't disagree with that. The governments there treat you all badly. At least our First Minister stands up for his people....the less said about Cameron, Clegg the better!

Sorry for the rant but i'm Scottish and proud. I hate when English people think we are selfish and greedy. :evil

dreamdaisy

I didn't use the word hate, I said 'may dislike' and qualified that with 'perhaps some reason'. You are able to have what you have now as we pay for it. Simples. Someone has just joined the forum who is Australian but as a resident in Scotland they also have free prescriptions -is that fair? Admittedly the amount paid per capita is not as high for the Scots as it is for the Irish, the Welsh do OK too.

UK funding per person per annum.

England: £7,960
Wales: £9,209
Scotland: £9,412
N Ireland: £10,127

Did we nick your oil? I do apologise for that, you should have charged us! DD

tjt6768

We may have taken your oil, but we'll never take your freedom! (said in a very dire impersonation of Mel Gibson impersonating a Scot) lol
Did we get some freebies? Must've missed that one, I'm always the last to find these things out, lol....

magenta

Hi,
DD, you sound a bit peeved! It's not our fault we're now getting free prescriptions! As for the Australian who now gets free prescriptions-why not?
Magenta

magenta

Also,

UK funding per person per annum.

England: £7,960
Wales: £9,209
Scotland: £9,412
N Ireland: £10,127

There are approx. 5 million Scots and over 50 million English!!!!!! You do alright with your funding, we should be getting more

tjt6768

magenta wrote:

Hi,
DD, you sound a bit peeved! It's not our fault we're now getting free prescriptions! As for the Australian who now gets free prescriptions-why not?
Magenta

:shock: I will resist, for I am in a good mood today :shock:

dreamdaisy

I don't mind paying, I have never have minded. It's not my fault that I am ill and need these things. Neither is it anyones fault that they have diabetes, or epilepsy, or that they are too young or too old or live in Scotland or Wales or are on benefits but they don't have to pay. It is the fundamental unfairness of it all, your meds are free because mine are not. And the pot of payers shrinks every year, which is why my costs rise every year as my income drops every year thanks to the depredations of a disease which is not my fault but is very expensive to have.

It is entirely understandable that those who have free meds don't want to pay for them. It is entirely understandable that those of us who don't fit into the right categories feel some angst at the fact that we do. Obviously now you have them, magenta, your free meds won't disappear and I will keep stumping up (along with everyone else who has to) because although I do have a choice about taking the drugs I am prescribed I reckon the crappy life I have would be far more crappy without the drugs I take. DD

magenta

Hi DD,

I'm not having a go at you. If you look at my first reply you'll see that I said it's unfair and that we should all be paying for prescriptions-I think £7.40 is too much for anybody especially when you look at how much the drugs cost per pack.
The meds are free for me so great. I too have a crappy life and have done for over 20yrs and my life would also be more crappy without the drugs. My income has gone down since the tories came in, so has my tax credit and unfortunately the job I was told was 'safe' from redundancies is now not so. We all have it tough. I also don't think this will last forever, we could be asked to start paying again and when that happens, I will be happy to pay (using a PPC of course!).
Also, when you said it's understandable that those who have free meds don't want to pay for them-that's not a fair comment.
We could go on and on about this for ever. It is unfair but nothing can be done-hopefully you will eventually start getting prescription costs reduced yearly, and eventually yours will be free too.
I resisted looking at the other posts about this issue on the other sites. I'm glad I didn't get involved. It's no-ones fault that this has happened but I'm sick of all the moaning, how unfair it is for the English etc...
I came to this forum for support about my arthritis but I'd rather now just try and get on with it myself.

Magenta

dreamdaisy

Oh no! I wasn't having a go at you either, I am so sorry, magenta. It is a thorny issue, no doubt about that, and will never be resolved to anyone's satisfaction. Another thing that is without doubt is this: this blasted arthritis, in any shape, form or variation is a horrid thing to cope with, manage, control or whatever as it is such a variable and capricious beast. It takes so much, offers very very little in return and affects not only us but those around us. It is a beast of the first order. Life's too short to quarrel yes? Pax? DD

skezier

Hi Eileen,

Don't do that flower cus I for one would,miss you! ((((( )))) and a bit of icecream and yogurt. Cris xxx

scozzie

I wasn't going to add anything further to this conversation as it seemed to be getting into a Scotland/England slanging match, but I did notice there was a comment about an Australian being resident in Scotland getting free prescriptions being unfair.
Firstly, I have been resident in the UK for over nine years and in full time employment for 8-1/2 of those years and while I was looking for work lived off my own savings. Thus I am a UK taxpayer. And I have never received any unemployment benefits from the Government.
Secondly, as of August last year I am now a citizen of the UK, to whit I must have fully paid all my taxes to the UK Government.
Thirdly, my parents and their parents before me and so on were British.
So my qualifying for free prescriptions is really only an accident of where I settled in the UK.

psyart

Hi ~ i was listening to a news report about scotland and free prescriptions ~ they were saying that things might be free now in scotland but when the new government take over they will find themselves in deep money problems :?: Is this right ~ will it be worst for scotland next year :?:

And as we are all on the same 'island' why can't we all get on ~ there is so much hatred and fighting in this world at the moment that it just seems to me we should maybe consider ourselves lucky that we arent the same :?:

well thats my thought on it anyway ~ right or wrong :!:

louise xxx ~ i hope i dont have to go into hiding now :?:

tjt6768

Bless you Louise, I don't think hiding is necessary.. Lol

ratface

Thought I would join in on this one, hope no one minds.

A few years ago there was a petition arranged by one of the arthritis web sites which I believe was presented to the then government, to which I put in my 'half penny worth', which was (roughly): "I didn't ask for rheumatoid arthritis, but it's got me for life. I will never get better, it might be better managed but I will never be rid of it and that perhaps they might like to try it."

I was paying for prescriptions at that time. RA had been a part of my life for many years and I had been paying for each item individually with no one telling me that I would qualify for pre-paid prescriptions. Eventually someone in my doctors surgery (believe it or not one of the receptionists) told me that as I was having 3 items I would qualify (like DD I now have a carrier bag full each month). I am now a pensioner and fortunately dont have to pay but I still feel as strongly now as I did then. People with long term illnesses should not have to pay prescription charges.

Ratface xxxx

coco67

there has been a lot of coments flying about and this is a subject where no one will ever totally agree or like. its been mentioned that wales get there perscriptions free etc etc.

now before i get jumped on so to speak i am welsh, i have lived in england and abroad (work) i have paid for many of my perscriptions over the years (far more than ive had free)

what i have found since coming back home to wales is that although my scripts are free i can not have some of the better meds that are available and used to get in englend and have to make to with older and sometimes less effective (more adictive) meds as they wont perscribe them here. also i have to buy more over the counter meds in small amounts than was perscribed back in england and therfore work out more expensive.

god forbid you have some forms of cancer as there are no facilities for treatment here (special scanners etc) a lot of welsh patients have to travel to england for this. cost of travel accomodation etc is stumpped up by the patient and the treatment is paid for by the welsh government.
some of these scanners wouldnt run without this funding and use by welsh patients so there are areas where funding is give from wales to england and this enables both sides of the border the facility. (my friend runs one such facility so i know this to be fact).

no matter which way this is worked out there will always be winners and loosers, i for one would willingly pay if it ment i could go back on my old meds and have some improvement in my health.

i am not taking sides or trying to heat things up, i think the whole system stinks, we are one nation and thankfull get along side by side most of the time we could be very differant and at war with each other. life is to short and painful to deal with as it is.