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.

No they won’t assume the medication is for epilepsy, as she would have to have a medical exemption certificate, but if I understand it from your OP she’s been claiming free prescriptions due to benefits. They can’t check benefits as easy because they’re not NHS endorsed like the exemption certificates are.

I collect levothyroxine from the pharmacy, have been for twenty years and never get asked for the exemption certificate.

I live in Scotland though, so not sure if seeing the exemption certificate if a bit redundant as prescriptions are free here. Haven't shown it for years.

I’d just change pharmacies and start paying. That shouldn’t instigate any kind of check.

Me too as it happens, I've never been asked to show it, fortunately including during the couple of months when I was accidentally late renewing it (whoops).

But the fact remains that whether you get asked or not, you're only actually exempt if you actually possess a valid certificate, and if you get caught in a random check and didn't have one at the time then you're liable to a fine - even if you would have been entitled to a certificate.

She should just say she now pays for her prescriptions and leave it at that. They won’t even be aware of it, they would have claimed the money from the government.

I would also move pharmacies.

I have just had to prove I was exempt as despite being on thyroxine for over 30 years and having a current exemption certificate, I moved house and the new pharmacy ticked the wrong box on the prescription for a qualifying benefit instead of medical.

It would have been £100 fine plus the cost of the medication if I couldn’t have shown it was an honest mistake (not even my mistake as I corrected it at the pharmacy) . If you have an exemption certificate be aware that you need to notify them of your new address as that won’t be changed when you register with a new doctor.

But if she just says now that she pays for them and they have been thinking she gets them for free because it's epilepsy medication, are they not going to question this? And realise she's never been exempt?

I haven’t read most of the posts; but; do the right thing from now on. That’s all you can do really.

This is timely- I just got a fine of £100 because I hadn't renewed my prepayment certificate. Every year I have had a reminder but for some reason not this year, (I checked my email account for all emails including deleted!) spoke to the help desk who told me I have no defence and that a fine plus the prescription charges are being sent to me for payment.
They also told me it's a totally random review!
I would get your friend to set up a prepayment certificate now. My fine was for the month of May so I would assume if she hadn't heard anything by end Sept she might be ok.

I get free prescriptions for underactive thyroid...does she have thyroid meds as this would make her exempt?

I hot married and my name changed. I forgot to change my exemption certificate name and got a fine within 2 months. Luckily they accepted it was a name change and cancelled it.

If she just pays from now on it will be fine

I would tell the truth otherwise she will live with the fear of being caught out. I know it will take her savings but at least she can move on from it and wont be living with the thought of being caught out. Shes made an error in the time she was ill abd is now being honest about it. I wonder if she can negotiate paying it back over a long period of time?

How do you forget you aren't exempt? This pisses me off as meds are not a choice and if you are not exempt you have to pay

My DP accidently collected a prescription without paying once and he had a letter sent through about 2 weeks later so they do know. Hope that helps

The old 'asking for a friend'...

Oh sorry just seen that she doesn't actually have epilepsy. No idea how in 10 years she's not been sent a letter/bill then 🤷🏻‍♀️ they must assume she has epilepsy as I know that medication is free of charge .

PIP doesn’t qualify you for free prescriptions , even at the higher rate.

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.

@Kat19899 Please reassure her that if she hasn't ever received a letter asking for a charge (which would be for one instance, as far as I know they don't record them*) she is not going to be contacted. She would've been contacted (which is by a specific prescriptions fines department, not the DWP) at the time.

She could tell someone but I don't know if they'd even know how to take a massive payment from her, as it isn't done.

As far as I know, they just occasionally randomly pick one out (I was unlucky enough to be hit with a fine for one prescription once, after a move.)

My daughter is on epilepsy meds so is exempt. Even though she is on benifits and severaly disabled and will never be able to work. I have to apply for an exemption card for her every 5 years. When it had run out couple of years ago I got a bill. I don't know how she has got away with it for so long.

I had this too, I got really ragey and sent a really shitty letter detailing what had happened and why I wasn't going to pay it and that they could get bent take me to court if they wanted the money. Never heard anything back, kid is now 5 😂

My friend had this with her third child, confidently tickled the exemption box for about 2/3 months then got a letter saying she had to pay the charge + fines for each one. She called them and said 1) I should be exempt and 2) I don’t have this money so a payment plan is the best I can manage… they cancelled the fines and she paid the prescription charges.

I forgot to pay for my prescription once (two days after my maternity exemption expired). I had a letter and fine within 2 months. Surely they wouldn’t have allowed your friend to get away with this for so long - she must be exempt somehow!

Thank you, it sounds like not and she might have got away with it. It’s very strange though, all these people getting fined almost instantly and she’s never heard a thing