stewartb
I stumbled across an online article from the ‘UK edition’ of The Sun dated 5 April with this headline: ‘DRUG DEAL Brits face having to make ‘unbearable’ decisions ahead of NHS prescription charge rise next month – The exact amount your prescription will rise by and who is exempt from charges.’
The main news is that ‘Charges for prescriptions will increase by 2.59 per cent as of May 1, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced.’ There are a less serious remark to be made about the piece and a wider and more serious observation.
Throughout the article the journalist uses the term ‘Brits’ multiple times to refer to those residents of England (only) affected by this change. Way down in the article readers are finally told: ‘England is the only country in the UK that still charges for prescription meds. Meanwhile Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland scrapped the charges more than a decade ago.’ I note in passing that the UK consists of multiple countries!
The more serious point is the lengthy text required to explain to Sun readers who England is and is not exempt from prescription charges. The journalist also provides this link to official guidance: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-nhs-prescription-costs/free-nhs-prescriptions
The latter guidance has this warning: ‘Don’t run the risk – It’s your own responsibility to check that you’re entitled before claiming free prescriptions. If you claim free prescriptions that you’re not entitled to, you could have to pay a penalty charge of up to £100.’
This warning needs to be read in the context of the complexity of the rules where one finds this as just one example:
‘Universal Credit – Not everyone getting Universal Credit is entitled to free NHS prescriptions. Your entitlement depends on your take-home pay in the last assessment period. View our UNIVERSAL CREDIT PAGE to check if you are entitled free NHS prescriptions.
‘If you’re entitled to free NHS prescriptions because you claim Universal Credit and your take home pay is under the limit, tick box ‘U’ on the prescription form.
‘Not all prescription forms have a tick box for Universal Credit. If that’s the case you should tick box ‘K’ for income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance instead.’
The ‘Universal Credit page’ referred to has this: ‘You are only entitled if your take-home pay in your last assessment period was:
– £435 or less
– £935 or less if your Universal Credit includes a payment for a child, or you have a limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work related activity
– If you claim Universal Credit as a couple, the take-home pay limit applies to the joint income of you and your partner.
‘If your working hours and income change it’s important to regularly check if you are entitled. The last assessment period is the one that ended immediately before the date you claim help with health costs. It runs for a calendar month.’
Easy to access? Nothing to worry about then?
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
i wonder i wonder , the borders , those towns in the border area where we often hear that they want brexit and they dont want Scotland having independence , i wonder how many of them register with a GP on the Scottish side of the border when actually they live on the english side and i wonder if they claim free prescriptions on the basis that their GP is in Scotland when what they should be doing is declaring that they live in England.There are bound to be some at it maybe even giving a false Scottish address .
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That would be akin to fraud, imo, but plenty well off rich folk with second homes in Scotland may well be using the SNHS and taking free prescriptions, if so that would need to stopped for sure.
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Due to the complexity of the Prescription Rules I would suggest that it would be cheaper for ALL prescriptions to be Free and thus cut out the bureaucracy .
Was that not a factor when the Scottish Government abolished charges in Scotland ?
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and what more proof do we need to show that whingeing Jocks are subsidy junkies living at England’s expense?
Alasdair Macdonald
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Eh? Prescriptions ARE free in Scotland what’s your point?
My brother in NE Eng, long term chronic illness, when working low paid job, could not afford all his meds, ended up in hospital, that would have cost FAR more for the English NHS than him receiving the treatment he needed at the point of need.
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Sorry I thought you said why was that not a factor…
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The unionists have to keep taking the tablets.
Perhaps they should start paying for them.
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Taking the tablets and keeping well stops hospital admissions. Saving much more than prescription charges on the sick.
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