Helping the government save money

The list is short but they then get every medication with the exemption. So I believe what people are saying (myself included) is could it be possible they receive this medication for free but pay for any unrelated medication.

Id love to see how you got on on a disabled veterans' discussion site.....

There is a cost - benefit analysis completed on many of these ideas. Means testing and the costs of implementing that and enforcing it does not equate a significant benefit so it isn’t done. Having systems for returning unused medical equipment is the same. It would be time consuming, labour intense and there would be risks that would need to be mitigated that would not be worth the small saving.

Decreasing waste and improve health to put less pressure on the system will save money.

Pension reforms are the other big saving.

And then we have removing barriers to work and encouraging productivity in the working population.

Who is "we"...?

You clearly stated those on benefits who've already been means tested should just qualify. Next you are clutching your pearls about people being on benefits. Surely you read your own posts back?

I was going to say this. We got a box of catheter equipment delivered the day after my dad was admitted to a hospice. It was all sealed and none of it had been touched (and some of it wasn’t stuff that went in or on the body eg a stand to hang the bags on). They wouldn’t take it back and told us to dispose of it.

Luckily there were some local people that I found on FB who were long term catherter users and were really happy to have it. No way could I have thrown it in the bin!

You don't understand, people who are successful in selling their labour should not only pay the vast majority of taxes, they should also see no benefit from them on a personal level.

So she’s paid more tax than most. That’s what she pays tax for…

I would cancel all road building plans that are not already under construction.

The more subtle saving though not easily measurable would be to have the same time zone all year, either BST or GMT year round.

As for prescriptions, bus passes and other age related benefits, I would raise the age when you start to receive them.

Because they check the people who say 'in receipt of benefits/on maternity leave' etc to make sure they are telling the truth.

A couple of times I have been written to to say I was fraudulently claiming a free prescription (I wasn't, they had made a mistake). This takes admin time, postage costs. Plus the admin time of checking all those who claim are eligible are actually eligible must be huge. That's the cost they are talking about, not the cost of taking payments

Mm...except my husband can barely walk. Military service saw to that. Not really a one size fits all solution..

People should just walk more. They will be healthier, won't need the NHS prescriptions, and the roads will have less wear and tear for more essential vehicle trips.

Do some litter picking, especially glass as that costs in flat tyres and A&E / vet trips. Unblock a local drain with a pokey stick if its safe.

Shame you felt the need to following up your somewhat sensible first sentence by being ignorant and goady in your second.

I doubt OP has even heard of Beveridge. Strongly suspect she's only started this thread to get people riled.

The list of conditions that provide exemption is not huge:

• a permanent fistula (for example, caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) which needs continuous surgical dressing or an appliance
• a form of hypoadrenalism (for example, Addison’s Disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential
• diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism
• diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone
• hypoparathyroidism
• myasthenia gravis
• myxoedema (that is, hypothyroidism which needs thyroid hormone replacement)
• epilepsy which needs continuous anticonvulsive therapy
• a continuing physical disability which means you cannot go out without the help of another person
• cancer and are undergoing treatment for either:
• cancer
• the effects of cancer
• the effects of cancer treatment

Id second this. Medication for your life long condition but you hurt you back for example, you pay for the short term painkillers.

to be fair, that's not what the public are told all the time on the platform, so you can hardly blame people for misunderstanding if what you're saying is true that the majority of delays are because if network rail.

It always seems to be problems of train company's stuff:

• lack of train crew
• doors not working
• problem with the brakes
• disruptive passenger on a train
• a previously delated train (for any of the above reasons)

Don't think you understand how our transport system works. Network rail is government owned, at the moment franchises are being taken back under government ownership. South western trains for example are now government owned, GWR will be by the summer along with lots of others.

Ignoring that fact, some of the delays are caused by infrastructure issues, in fact the Major are. The only delays that wouldn't be caused by the government are train faults or lack of personal to run a train.

That's why the Government pay for delays.

Oh dear, oh dear. My husband is over 60 and has life conditions caused by military service and two strokes. He gets his medication for free....gasp.... I work very hard as well as caring for him, pay taxes obviously and am not entitled to free prescriptions. Before his health deteriorated he had worked from 15 to 58 including 11 years service. So I will happily continue to collect his "free" prescriptions that are helping to keep him alive in my short lunch break from work just after I make my midday care call to him at home. When you've lived those kind of experiences you can trot out your ideas of what you think everyone else should be doing and what they're entitled to.

Kirsty Allslop, that you?