NHS prescription penalty charge

The onus is on the patient to check that their personal details are correct when signing the patient declaration on the back of the script. Pharmacies and dental practices can get into a mess if they try to assist the patient and they should only advise the patient that if they are in doubt of any exemption, pay the relevant charge and claim back later.

NHSBSA ordinarily do send reminders when exemption certificates are due to expire. It is sensible when purchasing one to set reminders in diaries of when the certificate expires. There is also less of a issue when paying up front for a certificate. If for any reason a DD does not go through you would not have a certificate, so DDs should be checked every month. I dare say that a reminder should be sent that a DD has failed.

Unfortunately by claiming an exemption for so long, there is going to be the risk of further fines. Sadly, there are a number of patients who continually defraud the NHS and claim free prescriptions and dental care on a regular basis. The fines need to be set at a level that deters.

You can check your status here

I don't know about your specific situation @Knickerbockerglories , but I got speeding twice in one week when I got a new car and I was allowed to do a speed awareness course for the first offence, but had to take the fine for the second, even though the course was a few months after both offences.

nearly happened to my son years ago...turned out the dentist filled the form in wrong so it was rescinded --- i seemed to remember I got involved
I have my uses, apparently I am also great at making complaints on my families behalf (I get volunteered a lot)

Your DH’s unwitting fraud is still fraud of the NHS. Either pay for each item when you pick up your medicine or show your prepayment card, but don’t plead innocence and expect leniency when you’ve had 12 of free prescriptions that he is not entitled to.

I pay annually, not Dd.

I have never received a letter after laying, paper based or email.
I don't usually get an email re expiry either,
My regular pharmacy never asks for evidence of the prepayment.

I only discovered mine must have elapsed and the new card payment not go through when I took my prescription to a new pharmacist out of area. I couldn't find any evidence of it in my phone so, for my own ease, I just paid for a new one there and then.

It's £1200, not £12,000 for 120 prescriptions!

@Knickerbockerglories I am sorry this has happened, and 'admin errors' could happen to anyone. I hope you get this sorted, but I fear you may have to pay for all the individual prescriptions. The powers-that-be are very strict and don't bend an inch with shit like this. I am so sorry.

There is NO card.
The card was stopped a few years back.
It was much easier when the card existed. It had an expiry date in.

Also when you go to a regular pharmacy - they never ask to see any evidence of it.

You don't get a message ime. I didn't.
It's trickier now as it isn't a physical card anymore either - and no easy way to check.

Mine had run out and I didn't know. I bought a new one as soon as I found out. I suspect I've ticked the box at least 2 or 3 times without realising it had potentially elapsed. The date on my phone calendar suggests I had got one as I've added it to the calendar (running out in July/August) but I can't find any record of it online or in my emails. Just a date it runs out. I can only assume something went wrong with payment perhaps, So I have paid for a new one as soon as I realised and this time taken screenshots of the new information, as well as adding to calendar, I now have to hope there are no fines to come for the time I may not have had a valid card - it was a genuine error.

I think you should pay for all the prescriptions you've had at their individual prices. I think there should be 1 fine on top of that but no more once you've 'made good' your mistake.
How much is the fine?

Ring and tell them. I had a fine once...I was pregnant and had moved address and hadn't updated address as we were mid move and they told me off like a naughty child but cancelled the fine as I had a valid mat1 form. Felt the whole thing was silly how they spoke to me but let it go as the fine was waved

I think it's unfortunate but fair that he gets fined and has to pay for the prescriptions he not paid for. Its not obvious there's been a mistake. The only thing obvious is that his annual prepayment was cancelled. Even if it was a mistake it's yours.

I do think it's unfair though to fine you again, unless of course you continue to fraudently claim.

It is unfortunate but it would be similar consequences if eg you forgot to tax/insure your car. If you board a train without a valid ticket you could be fined and would also need to buy a ticket for that journey....either no off peek/super saver discounts. A years a long time not to notice. Best check everything is in order before you get hit with another shock.

If you're on a low income, I'm sure they'll accept a payment plan

I pay for an annual prepayment certificate by monthly direct debit over 10 months.
I receive an email the month before it is due for renewal but that says that if I wish to renew I don't need to do anything.
I don't receive a physical card in the post, just one by email but I give these details to my pharmacist and they log them on their computer system.
I used to buy a 3 month certificate and did receive a fine at one point. This was cancelled when I was able to prove I held a prepayment certificate on the date I collected my prescription.
It's worth keeping all the relevant cards/emails for a while after they expire as they can make mistakes!

Hi, hve you got a number you called please? The number I can on the letter never connects the phone all

Didn't he ever have to show his cert to the pharmacy when he collected his scripts?
I have to show mine each time.
Although they no longer give you a plastic card, they send a letter of certification if you're paying on DD once the renewal takes place.
Doesn't anyone check their DDs anymore? Or even wonder when a bill is due?

This was me!!

Midwife didn't send off the maternity exemption form and I had no idea I should have received an actual certificate. I stupidly assumed that writhing their own internal systems it would see I had in fact been pregnant and had a baby.

When I questioned the fine I was told they would wipe the fine as I should have been entitled but it was a paperwork error but that I still had to pay the prescription charge. Even though they could clearly see there was no way I could have not been entitled.

It's a shambles.

I think you just have to pay the fine even though it was a genuine mistake the onus is on you to pay it. Same as MOTs and car insurance, onus is on you to keep a check and know - I write MOTs etc on the calendar for the forthcoming year as we have about 6 vehicles to keep track of. In the same way we won't get a refund for the prescription fees I paid for DH's prescriptions after he was 60 because I did not know they were free over 60 (I thought free if a pensioner), ditto years ago when pregnant as I didn't know they were free and the poor pharmacy were over-busy and too understaffed to think to ask as they assumed we should know.

Granted I don't have that many prescriptions, but I have never been asked to show maternity exemption cert nor PPC to a pharmacist. I used to, but I guess the job has been given to the centralised team who then do fines?

Right, panic over for me at least but a potentially close call.

I located the email with the last certificate which expired late Jan.

I have also located an email in my spam folder which arrived on Boxing Day giving me notice to renew.

By fortunate coincidence, today is the first prescription I have had to collect since it expired so I have just renewed online.

I think it's pretty poor to only receive ONE email reminder. Appreciate the onus is arguably on me to remember the date and arguably on me to check my spam, but I don't think that's great.

There has to be intent for fraud to have taken place. An honest mistake is not fraud. A quick google will tell you this.

Lol, of course it can be classed as fraud even if it wasn't deliberate.

If this is an honest mistake your H still owes quite a lot of money and the fine is being applied fairly.
Its awful when as mistake costs so much I know but you can’t prove it wasn’t deliberate so I don’t see why they would let you off

They email you a month before expiry. Can't remember if they still send a letter.

You can check here: services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check-my-nhs-exemption/start

It’s not fraud if it’s not deliberate.

@MaggieFS - get checking now! Don't leave it to chance.