When they ask "do you pay for your/prescription/eye test/dental treatment?

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What checks do they do?

I've always paid and it's never occurred to me not to but it does occur that if either, you're in a position where £8.80 is a lot of money or you're a con artist it might be very tempting/easy to say "no I don't" and take it all free?

Does the NHS lose a lot of money like this?

They can check and fine heavily

You have to show your exemption card, they don't just take your word for it.

You have to sign a GOS form to day you are eligible. These are sent off and checked.

They don’t usually ask for proof but there are regulat checks. I forgot to change address on my maternity exemption card and got sent a pretty scary letter and fine

Like Bertie said they don't just take it on trust. They always write something (the serial number or something?) down from my maternity exemption card even though I've only used it while either heavily pregnant or holding a small baby so it's a fairly safe bet I'm legit...

I have a prepayment card and I'm never asked to show it when I collect my prescriptions, I do know of someone who got a £50 fine for having the wrong address on a diabetes exemption certificate - they didn't have to pay it when the address was updated but it shows that they do check.

Ah, interesting but I'm sure I was never asked for any proof of pregnancy for the dentist.

Same with DS at the dentist he's 17, so only entitled to free treatment if still in school (I think?) but I've never had to prove it.

I have a prepayment card so I always voluntarily show that usually when I give them my name (it saves me having to spell my name for them). They haven't seem bothered either way until this year when they have starting actually looking at my prepayment card and checking the dates to make sure it's valid.

you can not be denied treatment because you don't have proof of exemption however when NHS staff complete claim form they will tick box "evidence not seen" these are randomly checked to see if you really are on pension credit JSA or whatever if you fail to pay when you should the fine ( in Scotland is 4 x the cost of original treatment for dentistry)

NHS staff are not HMRC DSS police so if you say you are on JSA I shall just tick that box evidence not seen even though I perhaps suspect as you came in in painters overalls and can't make appointments before 5pm that may not be the case,

I would never report a patient for possible benefit lapses as I might be mistaken and you were painting kids bedroom also it would break down patient relations, it might be tempting as I will not check and to be honest 90% of patients don't carry proof
actually no pharmacist will refuse to fill out your prescription because you can't proof it there and then,
generally if you are exempt on the day the course of treatment started you are exempt for it all, like wise if you are not pregnant the day treatment starts you are not exempt, but conversely provided treatment starts before child is 1 it is free even if they are 1 during course

Please note for dentistry it is the child's date of birth that matters not maternity cert which maybe dated a few days after 1st birthday , it specifically asks if child is under 1 not the date cert runs out

I had a letter last week with a penalty notice fine of £58.
I've been able to send proof that I paid for my prescription (I always do), but somehow I think I made a mistake and ticked the wrong box on the prescription.
They obviously do check, although it can take months, as this one was in July.

If you don't pay for your prescriptions, you have to tick the relevant box to say what sort of exemption you have. This is then checked against the information in their database.

If you ticked the box for 'medical exemption' and you don't have an in-date medical exemption certificate, you can be fined.

They do check - DW had a letter a while ago (from Newcastle) with details of a prescription and asking for proof of her exemption (which was a pre-payment certificate). We returned a copy of the card, and never heard back. Now she has a medical exemption cert, so presumably any check would require sight of that.

I have a PP cert, and when collecting new meds from the hospital pharmacy (rather than my local one) the pharmacist suggested I keep a picture of it on my phone, in case it's asked for in future.

I don't pay as I have an underactive thyroid and for some reason that means I get all my prescriptions free (I think this is quite generous personally). I just say no and they never ask for proof. It's always at the same pharmacy though so maybe they just remember me?

I have a pre payment card as I have a few health conditions which results in a huge prescription every month. I always show my card.

A while ago I got a letter saying that I’d said I had a pre payment certificate but they couldn’t locate one for my name. Turned out the pharmacy had written across my date of birth and it looked as if it was a 15 rather than a 13. They definitely check.

I've got a medical exemption card, and I have been asked for it from time to time, but not that often. The only thing I usually pick up though is the medication for the condition that exempts me, so I guess they work it out from that?

In my pharmacy we don’t write down the serial number of the certificate as or necessarily look at it. They will use your details on the prescription to carry out their random checks to see if you should pay or not, so as long as the correct exemption is ticked, it’s fine.

They will take your word for it if you don't have proof with you but they will do a check and you will be fined heavily if you are not eligible for free care.

It’s checked further down the line, the prescription has your name and address on it and so they know where you live 😝 don’t do it they do check

I have a prepayment card and am never asked to show it. My surgery dispense my prescriptions.

Luckily I live in Wales and don't pay for prescriptions. Although, I rarely take medication and when I do I but over the counter stuff anyway. My husband had a heart attack in Bruges at beginning of the month and is on 8 different ones so am glad we don't pay!

I confirmed that I had to pay for a prescription the other day, and the staff got really excited, and were thrown into a small frenzy by having to get the card reader out, amid exclaims of "we don't do this very often". We are in a rural dispensary area, full of the old and infirm, just goes to show how many people don't have to pay, and I really wonder how many of these they really do check.

You have to show your exemption card, they don't just take your word for it.

I've never been asked for the exemption card - was most surprised, but any pharmacy I've used have taken my word for it (and I'm not a regular, that they would recognise me in one place.)

A trainee at my local pharmacy told me twice that I needed to tick the box on the back of my prescription, although I explained the first time that I wasn't eligible to do so. Another staff member then came over and explained to her how a paid prescription needed to be processed. I don't know how long the trainee had been there!

Ive never shown my exemption card either

But i know that they can check, its only prescriptions i get

Though i know that can add up!!

There was a story a while back about the government changing the system so that proof of exemption was required before medicines would be dispensed. At the time the Royal College of Pharmacists (I think that's them) were utterly opposed to it, saying that it wasn't their job (true), and that people needing vital medicines would suffer. Things went quiet after that, but - like Arnie - have no doubt they'll be back,