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.

Not the same thing. Once you have an exemption certificate you don’t pay for any meds, regardless of whether they are connected with your condition or not. But you have to have a qualifying condition to start with. So if the friend has meds usually used to treat epilepsy and they are prescribed for something other than epilepsy which is not a qualifying condition, then she still doesn’t qualify.

She would of heard by now. I've ticked the wrong box twice and had a letter both times within weeks. I would just say your not entitled to free prescriptions anymore and get a pre-payment card.

I would just keep shtum.

@Kat19899 I had call from prescription place years ago
I was using my maiden name.

I wa still exempt.

They definitely would contact you if they thought there was any funny business

But come on
Your friend KNEW she had to pay the fees?!

No one “ Forgets”.

Certain lifelong meds are exempt.

This is exactly what I thought .

If a patient gets thyroxine , all other meds are exempt- seems odd, as it’s not means tested, either.

This is correct - once exempt you don’t pay for any meds, whether they are connected to your condition or not. But you still have to have a qualifying condition to start with. And it sounds as though she doesn’t.

Just to preface this before I continue, I don't know if this would apply to the NHS/government related debts so I could be very wrong here.
However when it comes to other debt there is also a responsibility on the supplier once its over a certain age. If the supplier hasn't made any contact or attempted to recoup the costs the consumer can have rights to have the debt reduced. In the regard I mean the time scale is 12 months.
My source is just my own experience.
But someone more knowledgeable around this may come along and I could be off the mark. And I know people with tax credits etc. Have been chased years later without it being their own error so it's very possible it doesn't apply here.

This happened to me after I didn't realise my certificate had expired. I realised and phoned them, they said no excuses and I wasn't allowed my offer to pay the prescription cost there and the n (it was only one), they put me on a payment plan which included the (large) fine.

The pharmacy said they send all their prescriptions off to the authority and they're randomly selected. I would think if they'd found one unpaid they might go back and check the records for that person but I can't be sure.

They don't always ask to see the proof of exemption card- and if you don't have it on you they just note that the person is exempt and annotate it thst they haven't seen the proof.

Our regular pharmacy keeps note of when DS's exemption card runs out on their system; so just remind us to let them see the new one when we renew.

It’s not meant to be means tested - it’s in recognition of a life long condition which can leave you vulnerable to other things. Hence, you don’t pay for any meds.

I'm on epilepsy drugs for pain and not exempt due to my health conditions. When I moved addresses and forgot to change the prepayment address I got caught and threatened with a fine ( they waived it as had prepaid ) the first time and not the 2nd time. They are very quick thou so if they haven't caught her yet they may not but make sure she buys a prepayment certificate as one item is £9.80 I think and I pay 10.80 a month for 10 months and get 2 free

You’ve still got to get the form and have it signed by a dr. It’s not just as simple as she may well be eligible. They don’t and can’t check peoples medication. They can however get the dr to check and sign which is what they do

Oh ok!
I get Thyroxine- seemed odd that was free but other, unrelated stuff also is free.

Yep, thyroid issues can leave you vulnerable to other illnesses so you get everything free. It’s a catch all.

Around 10 years ago I realised I hadn't paid my pre-payment prescription card for 3 years. I rang up horrified and they set me up with a new card, £120 a year for as many prescriptions as I like.

I said I wanted to pay what I had owed for the previous years and they said they would get back to me. They never did. I have terrible anxiety and rang up again around a month or two later and they said they would get back to me again. Which they didn't.

They were very confused that anyone would want to do that! Although this was 10 years ago now.

If I was your friend I would call up "anonymously" to the pre-payment prescription team and have a chat. Can you back pay? What should she do next? She could always nip into a large pharmacy in a main town like a Boots and talk to pharmacist and ask for advice on what to do.

They’ve clearly assumed she has epilepsy which would entitle her to free prescriptions

As it should be. Try living with a condition like this where you are fatigued all the time. It's not great. Suboptimal level of health.

It can make you more susceptible to other conditions.

No one's having the time of their lives with an exemption certificate I can assure you.

She will be fine. Their mistake for not noticing tbh. As long as she starts paying now it will be fine

My pharmacy must be very strict. I have a medical exemption which I’m asked about every month when I collect prescription. At least a couple of times a year I’m asked to show my medical exemption certificate.
However I do know some people who “forget” they’re not entitled to free prescriptions and have so far managed to get away with it so who knows.....?

10 years? She’s definitely gotten away with it😅

I got a prescription in February of this year when my son was 10 months old. I ticked the box saying I had an exemption due to a maternity certificate or whatever the wording is. I never actually received a maternity certificate during my pregnancy but I knew you could get free prescriptions until your child turned 1.

4 months later in June I get a letter in the post saying a random check has been done and I didn’t have a maternity certificate on their system. They told me to submit evidence of my exemption or pay for the prescription PLUS £100 fine. I gave them my son’s birth certificate and they said it’s not enoug. It’s the maternity exemption or nothing.

Luckily I claim UC so just screenshot my account and they accepted that😂 how the hell she’s got away with doing it for 10 years is crazy. They seemed really on the ball in my experience with them! I wouldn’t say anything if I was her but I’d also be scared to carry on claiming free prescriptions. I have no clue what she should do but good luck to her!

Her "forgetfulness" resulted in the NHS losing nearly £4,500 in income. Imagine if we all ”forgetful.” NHS services are already at their limit. I'm puzzled about how this situation unfolded. Every pharmacist serving me asks, without fail, if I pay for my prescriptions. If I had forgotten that I no longer qualify for free prescriptions, being asked would jog my memory. People living with chronic conditions often have to bear monthly prescription charges indefinitely. While prepaying reduces the cost, for many, shelling out £4,500 has forced them to make sacrifices. Let’s hope her memory improves.

Umm. I can’t believe she not been asked. If she pays for her prescriptions or has exemption. If she has been asked and says she does have, once can be considered an error. More than this, fraud. As for 10 years, criminal. The cash value of this “forgetting” in more than £4000, not £4!

She could write a letter explaining she has depression and did not process the payment. I doubt very much she'd get a criminal record. She'd probably just get a bill for the money she owes. She might be let off or asked to pay a smaller amount. She needs to get an annual pre payment certificate it will last for a year.

This. If she has a DH who works she would be expected to pay.