# Cut down on prescription fraud campaign to begin in Staffordshire



## Northerner (Jan 3, 2017)

THE NHS Business Services Authority has selected Staffordshire to trial a new campaign to raise awareness of those claiming free prescriptions which they are not entitled to and help local people avoid paying hefty penalty charges.

Patient prescription charge fraud is a £200 million problem in England, and it doesn't just cost the NHS, penalty charges of up to £100 are regularly issued to people from across the region who incorrectly believe they're entitled to free prescriptions.

As well as deterring those who intentionally set out to defraud, the campaign aims to make everyone double check that they are entitled before claiming free prescriptions so that they can avoid making costly mistakes.

http://www.staffordshirenewsletter....taffordshire/story-30020081-detail/story.html

Just a reminder to people in England on diabetes meds to make sure they have a valid NHS Exemption Certificate (it's a credit card sized thing). It needs renewing every 5 years, and reminders don't always get through, so check the dates on yours


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## mikeyB (Jan 3, 2017)

Or move to Scotland, where prescriptions are free. The Scottish government took the view that people on low, or even average income, would  be more likely to get all the medication they need if they didn't have to pay whatever it is in England, (something around £8 an item? ) As in England, people were making the decision as to which medication they needed most, as they thought, before submitting the prescription. 

Or, getting back to exemptions certificates, I've always thought, even when I was living in England, that it was strange that I could get free prescriptions for my Ulcerative Colitis just because I had the totally unrelated condition of Diabetes.


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## HOBIE (Jan 3, 2017)

No wonder the NHS has no money ?


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## Amigo (Jan 3, 2017)

It's a long time since I've seen anyone actually pay for a prescription in a chemist! Another issue in relation to this are the immense amounts of meds that are just not used and once dispensed can't be re-used. 

Apparently checks on prescriptions are only done on random scripts due to manpower issues so I suppose most deliberate defrauders think it's worth a risk.


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## mikeyB (Jan 3, 2017)

Mind, Amigo, some of those not paying might have prepayment cards.


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## Amigo (Jan 3, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> Mind, Amigo, some of those not paying might have prepayment cards.



Possibly Mike but I find pharmacists rarely ask for evidence. They never ask me but I always offer my exemption card.


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## Pumper_Sue (Jan 3, 2017)

Amigo said:


> Possibly Mike but I find pharmacists rarely ask for evidence. They never ask me but I always offer my exemption card.


There's a large notice in my local pharmacy regarding exemption certificates and each customer who signs for free prescriptions is asked for proof.


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## Amigo (Jan 3, 2017)

Pumper_Sue said:


> There's a large notice in my local pharmacy regarding exemption certificates and each customer who signs for free prescriptions is asked for proof.



Glad somewhere is enforcing it Sue.


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## trophywench (Jan 3, 2017)

LOL - they'd have to ask for my birth certificate I guess, since once you reach whatever age it happens to be this week, your beloved exemption card becomes surplus to requirements, since it's all free anyway once you're ancient!


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## mikeyB (Jan 3, 2017)

I think it's 60. At least it was when I left England forever to live in the land of the free...prescriptions.

Your age is printed out on the prescription form.


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## grovesy (Jan 4, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> I think it's 60. At least it was when I left England forever to live in the land of the free...prescriptions.
> 
> Your age is printed out on the prescription form.


It still is.


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## trophywench (Jan 4, 2017)

Ah - well it was 60 for me (can't remember for Pete since it's rare for him to need a scrip) but I could retire more or less at 60 and didn't know if it was now 'retirement' age or something.

With regard to having D and then a totally unrelated problem I did query this the first time all those years ago.  Doc said 'How do you know you'd have had this anyway even if you weren't D?'  And I replied well I don't, but .. and he cut me off at that, saying 'And neither does anyone else!'

I mean, certainly Mike, and it was more prevalent years ago even with T1s since getting brilliant BG control always was pretty impossible way back then - that stuff like thrush and things would a) leap upon us pdq and b) take one helluva lot longer to get rid of, causing us to ALWAYS need medication for it pdq and to have to take it for longer - than we probably would have, were we not D.


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## HOBIE (Jan 10, 2017)

I cant imagine the cost for one chemist never mind a town or country


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## trophywench (Jan 10, 2017)

HOBIE said:


> I cant imagine the cost for one chemist never mind a town or country



You've lost me there?  Unless you mean, if they supply drugs free to people who haven't actually got an exemption cert.

Just thought though - if you are on certain benefits - or are a pregnant or nursing mother - I believe you are also exempt of prescription charges.  What checks does the pharmacy have to do to check people are telling the truth when they tick those boxes?

Cos if they don't have to check - that's discrimination against the medically exempt!


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## SB2015 (Jan 10, 2017)

Northerner said:


> Just a reminder to people in England on diabetes meds to make sure they have a valid NHS Exemption Certificate (it's a credit card sized thing). It needs renewing every 5 years, and reminders don't always get through, so check the dates on yours



Or just get a bit older.  Once you make it to 60 the prescriptions are free anyway, so no need to reapply.


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## Manda1 (Jan 10, 2017)

I offered them the opportunity to see mine as they never ask ! My daughter is pregnant and has a little card similar to mine to prove she is excempt too but has never been asked to show it either. So really anyone can tick a box on a prescription ...and who would know. ?


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## trophywench (Jan 10, 2017)

Well probably if you were 8 months pregnant or were actually breastfeeding your babe, you'd know!  LOL


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## Matt Cycle (Jan 10, 2017)

This campaign is in my area.  I don't think they've ever asked at the pharmacy to see the exemption card although I will often have it ready to show.  Stood in the chemists I very rarely see anyone paying for a prescription.  I always get the reminder for the card renewal in the post and it usually appears fairly quickly (I think they come from Newcastle?) after I've left the form at the surgery for the doc to sign.


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## Pumper_Sue (Jan 14, 2017)

Manda1 said:


> I offered them the opportunity to see mine as they never ask ! My daughter is pregnant and has a little card similar to mine to prove she is excempt too but has never been asked to show it either. So really anyone can tick a box on a prescription ...and who would know. ?


Trouble is they are checking now and fines and back payments for prescription charges are being sent in the post. A lot of people have been caught out by signing when they haven't actually got an exemption certificate. Being entitled and actually having one are two different matters


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## trophywench (Jan 14, 2017)

Absolutely Sue - the pharmacies land up paying for the drugs if people don't actually have exemption - so I have never found this to be a problem since Day 1.  I've mostly used one partic pharmacy or another in my long career of being exempt - so they get used to you being pukka until they get new staff and there's no-one just handy to say 'She's OK' and when I occasionally haven't used my usual I've been more surprised when they haven't than I ever could have been if they did!

I don't see it as any sort of a problem to anyone.


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## grovesy (Jan 14, 2017)

trophywench said:


> Absolutely Sue - the pharmacies land up paying for the drugs if people don't actually have exemption - so I have never found this to be a problem since Day 1.  I've mostly used one partic pharmacy or another in my long career of being exempt - so they get used to you being pukka until they get new staff and there's no-one just handy to say 'She's OK' and when I occasionally haven't used my usual I've been more surprised when they haven't than I ever could have been if they did!
> 
> I don't see it as any sort of a problem to anyone.


I have used mine since they opened over 30 years ago.


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## trophywench (Jan 14, 2017)

LOL - I've not lived in the same place that long, grovesy!

First 21 years with my parents.  We paid for prescriptions then, though we did use the same pharmacy throughout LOL.

Next 27 with my first husband in Kidderminster, after 1 year I became exempt, but sorry - the pharmacy at the Boots 'Big Top' store in New Street, Birmingham city centre (nearest one to my original office) that I used for yonks was forever changing serving staff, though the pharmacists lasted a lot longer usually, the pharmacists might recognise me by sight, they didn't normally serve anyone unless there was some problem or query, and they would have 'purges' occasionally anyway, just as one would expect a large place to have in place as proper dispensing procedure.

I normally went to the GPs after work, by which time the Co-op pharmacy shop opposite would be shut, hence I'd get my script next day from work in my lunch hour.

Then it varied a lot where I went, as I worked all over the place. (Dudley; Edgbaston; city centre again; Newcastle under Lyme; Ashby de la Zouch; city centre again)

I've lived here since 1998 and have used the same pharmacy throughout - the shop itself has moved twice and been sold in between, but with some of the original staff still working there!  - and quite a few of the original clients still using it too.


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