Friend hasn’t paid prescription charges for 10 years - what will happen?

[Kat19899]

Please be kind, this was stupid but unintentional and now is beside herself and remorseful.
She was on JSA around 10 years ago and entitled to free prescriptions when she set up her delivery for repeat prescriptions from the local pharmacy. She became more ill and was out of work for a couple of years, didn’t receive JSA or any benefits during that time. However she forgot to tell the pharmacy she wasn’t entitled to free prescriptions anymore and I guess with the stress/depression of being ill and the pharmacy never querying it she just forgot about it. The other day she got a doctor’s prescription at an appointment, paid for the item at the pharmacy like normal and had the sudden realisation she has not paid for 4+ items per month for about 10 years!

She is beside herself, feels awful at costing the NHS money and very stressed that she will go to court and get a criminal record or jail time. Is this likely to happen?? What should she do? I think her options are to call/write a letter telling the truth and offering to pay in full (it would wipe out her savings but she has the money), tell the pharmacy she is no longer eligible and buy a prescription prepayment certificate and hope no one questions it, or say nothing and hope for the best.
She said she does her repeats online and they get sent to the pharmacy automatically. I’m confused about how this can go unnoticed for so long. She’s willing to fully pay but every time the post comes she thinks it’s going to be a court summons.

@SlightlygrumpyBettyswaitress
Changing pharmacy will have no effect either way. It's nothing to do with the pharmacy, it's the NHS BSA who chase prescription charges.

I’d buy a pre payment certificate now and tell the pharmacy she is no longer expect and show them the pre payment certificate. I wouldn’t tell them when she became no longer exempt. They won’t care, it’s not up to them to police it, just to record what they’re told. If it isn’t inconvenient I might change pharmacy and then it’s a fresh start, she may feel less anxious about it then.

Sometimes the pharmacies won’t charge as they make assumptions of your condition based on the drugs. The minute I was on levothyroxine for Hashimoto’s the pharmacist refused to charge me even when I filled in the correct box to pay for them & the NHS letter, when it came, told me to apply for a medical exemption certificate. It’s possible something similar has happened.

I’d just keep the status quo. Let the NHS contact her to fix the mistake.

So they just sent you a letter/bill? Did it mention court or anything?

I think they used to check your eligibility for both the conts based and the means tested one at once, but use the conts based first, so it's possible she was eligible for both. She would have had to fill in a form once the conts based one ran out after six months though and then she would have received the benefit if that were the case

so I have a pre payment certificate and I order my repeats online and they are sent to my pharmacy. I still get asked which box I tick that means I don’t pay? So surely she’s been asked?

sounds like I’m on similar meds for the same reason so that wouldn’t make her eligible for free prescriptions. Did she claim PIP while sick? I can’t remember if the highest rates get them free… if she claimed no benefits while out of work then she wouldn’t have gotten them free. Honestly I think I’d inform the pharmacy that she pays now and then take it from there.

I’m guessing here but surely court would only happen if she didn’t pay any fine? I don’t think she should tell them now. It was an honest mistake and she’s going to start paying from now on. The NHS waste million on all sort of rubbish, tell her to stop beating herself up about it.

Oh maybe that’s what’s happened and the pharmacy assumes she has epilepsy. They deliver so I suppose she never goes in for them to actually ask her

Tell her to just get a pre-payment certificate and tell the pharmacy her exemption has changed and show the certificate. Ignore all past prescriptions and hope for the best moving forward. They normally fine pretty quick. Changing pharmacy will make no difference at all, the NHS BSA manage it all.

I don't see how she could have done it by mistake. 🫤

This came up recently in the Guardian! https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/mar/16/cancer-could-kill-me-but-i-face-an-nhs-fine-over-prescriptions?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

I'd say she needs to probably fess up rather than risk being caught

I think the problem is though that she either tells them now and pays all the fines, or has money set aside in the bank permanently in case they do suddenly send her the fines.

I wouldn't want to live like that myself. I think I'd have to come clean. I wouldn't want potential fines hanging over me in the back of my head forever if they don't ask.

It makes no difference what the pharmacy assume, if she was exempt for a medical reason, as listed before, she would need to show a medical exemption certificate.

Just a letter with a fine and then another and another for each time it had happened! You can do payment plans and pay monthly so it’s not as bad as it sounds. Fingers crossed they don’t find out, if she contacts them she will have to pay them all back and the fine which is about £60 a prescription

Me too

She lucky to have you as a friend, how will you advise her having read the responses.

£100 per prescription!!! I hope she has a lot of savings…

If she hasn't heard anything by now she's gotten away with it. My midwife forgot to send off for my mat exemption certificate and when I was 40 weeks I got a load of fines through. No way out of it even though I was exempt as pregnant!

Fucking hell.

I used to have a pre-payment certificate and, in the days before reminders, so about ten years ago, forgot to renew it. I was fined heavily - can't remember exactly how much now, but it was around £140 per prescription, and I had "illegally" claimed two. It was a genuine mistake, and I was horrified - I rang the number on the letter to say it was an honest mistake and I had renewed the certificate the minute I realised, but they (fairly enough) said "tough shit".

I think I'd be inclined to come clean if I were your friend and had savings, as I couldn't cope with the thought that I could receive a letter any day.

Yeah I think it's likely she has just read that story and it's put the wind up her rather than she forgot.

It sounds like she’s probably not going to jail so that’s something. I think I will have to lay out her options. Personally I probably wouldn’t confess and face a fine of £100 per prescription but I suppose she wouldn’t have the worry in her mind. I think the best way forward is to buy a prepayment certificate and change pharmacies to avoid any questions. What a silly mistake, I’m not surprised she’s feeling stressed

I work in a pharmacy and our dispensing system automatically checks exemptions anyway. I really wouldn't worry if its not been picked up now she's probably safe. No need to even change pharmacy just let them know the new exemption, it has nothing to do with the staff in the pharmacy who gets fined anyway, they will just send the prescriptions off at the end of the month. We did all hear about a man who had free prescriptions his whole life when he was supposed to pay and he got a £100 fine, because one prescription got randomly checked. He said it was a bargain for a life time supply of meds!

But you are exempt from paying for prescriptions with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Sorry I don't have the answer, but it's been pointed out to me many a times by my pharmacist that even if you are entitled to an exemption you need to apply for it, and get the medical exemption card. If not, you still have to pay, even if youl'll be exempt. This is them reminding me every now and again to check my exemption certificate, to make sure it hasn't expired and that a current exemption certificate is always required.