AIBU to wonder how people are so shortsighted?

[NHSisfubar]

There is a link currently doing the rounds on Facebook saying that you can sign up at Boots for 'free' non prescription medicines such as plasters and cough syrup on (what appears to be) an NHS scheme. So thousands of people are tagging each other saying 'oooh look Maude; you can get free plasters for baby Harold' (names chosen at random..). Fine if Maude is really on the breadline and baby Harold really needs this stuff but it looks like a lot of grabby freeloaders in general who could happily afford to buy their own plasters.

Having looked online it does appear to be a genuine NHS scheme across all pharmacies. So now people are going to be signing up to get more 'FREE' stuff. No wonder the NHS is nearly collapsing. AIBU in thinking it's ridiculous and people should keep the NHS for actual emergency care?

Cripes.

…is a bigger sum…

Regarding paracetamol prescriptions, often it's actually that if you are taking 8 a day it's a royal pain to have to go to the chemist every few days for a new supply. Especially if the chronic pain you are taking it for limits your mobility!

So a 16 pack is 19p. prescription is £7.20. Or 144 tablets or 37 days. Whats the point? Yes free to you - not free to NHS?

I suppose the point is unless you are prescribed more than 144 the NHS are being over charged -19p being cost not supply.

Yes but life is never fair. As long as those who really need the service can access it then nobody else really need use it. It is there in case their circumstances change and they really do need it in the future not just because it is there now.

For the poster talking about her son using education and transport services for free; yes it's a difficult question as to where the moral responsibility lies but these services are less stretched than the NHS from what I see. But if it came down to 2 kids needing to take a bus and yours could afford to pay and the other couldn't and you knew that eventually the bus service wouldn't be able to sustain free rides for all would you still insist on using this service for free to the detriment of the child who doesn't have another option?

People saying that it's 'only' small amounts here and there and in the big scheme of things it is nothing but it all adds up. 50 people claiming 'free' medical items they could afford themselves worth £10 each; well perhaps the cost of those items would pay for operating staff for another child's operation. And claiming for items that will cost more for NHS to provide in admin/drug company fees when the transport fee/fuel to get to a participating pharmacy probably costs more than cheap supermarket versions just seems bad economics to myself but that's just my opinion...

Slight tangent here, but nit solution is bloody expensive. If you have a few kids and want to treat everyone 'just in case' you can easily spend £20 on this stuff, just because some bloody pita at school is shit at dealing with their own kid's headlice!

If it was cheaper to buy maybe people wouldn't blag it for free and the resources could he saved for those who truly can't afford even a reduced price.

Nit solution doesnt work because they go back into school and get some more. Lovely. So saving all round.

Thing is because there are seemingly SO many people out there who hasn't heard of this scheme that has been running for years says that it does get used by those that really need it rather than those who 'morally' don't?

I'm wondering on whether to make a bet... How does means testing family income for pescriptions for under 16s sound? Might save a bit of cash to fund these 7 days a week gps they're on about. There has to be a reason they're throwing this thing out there for frothing purposes.

This is care in the chemist and as others have said it's been around for years. It is supposed to encourage you to get items you may go to the doctors to get on prescription (like calpol, nit lotion etc) straight from the pharmacy to remove strain from GPs. I have used it very occasionally but mostly I just buy the stuff over the counter. It is incredibly useful if you literally cannot afford to buy the medicine. I think they are doing an awareness campaign as so many people do attend GPs to get a prescription for calpol for kids and similar.

Those saying people will abuse it and crying "waste" Have you ever gotten ibuprofen/calpol for your kids on prescription? Not even when doc has offered? Whatever you may think there are people who need and people who simply want to get this stuff on prescription to save the cost. It is an NHS service that has been around for a long time and they are just trying to make more people aware it exists so there is more chance of people who need doctors appointments being able to get them.

Is a lowly paid taxpayer paying for this service who is probably not eligible to use it???

Of course, there is no reason to think that everyone who responds 'whoopee free stuff!' on a FB post will qualify, have access, or be bothered to actually go through with it.

In Scotland, when I went to buy Calpol, along with getting a prescription, they pointed out I could get the off-brand free version for free. It tastes so nasty my son feels better at the mere suggestion of having to take it. Very cost effective, that!

it all adds up. 50 people claiming 'free' medical items they could afford themselves worth £10 each; well perhaps the cost of those items would pay for operating staff for another child's operation.

The money saved by means testing would probably hardly save more than needed to pay the means testers.

But this service is free to ALL under 16's from looking at the details on CAB? The administration costs of showing proof of parent's jobseekers/DLA etc at point of 'sale' (should this only be made available to those families who truly can't afford to pay for these items for their kids) would surely be negligible? It's not means testing but a simple showing of proof that you are a participant of another government scheme regarding your low income?

All under 16s have been entitled to free prescriptions for as long as I can remember.. Why would anyone need to look it up?

I tried to use this scheme last week. I was terribly constipated and the information on the NHS website said that that is one of the conditions treated under the scheme. I had no money to buy what I needed myself and do get free prescriptions.

I got told that in my county that it is not covered on this scheme!

I had to ring the Dr, speak to the receptionist, she got the Dr to ring me, he wrote a prescription, DP went and collected it and took it to the pharmacy.

I still got the meds free but had to bother my GP with it.

My partner got this on his news feed and showed me last night. We were both shocked that people were really talking about how they were going to stock up their medicine cupboards. My first thought was, "why would anyone even be buying Calpol, I can get both generic paracetamol and ibuprofen suspension for around £1.50 a bottle". Sorry but even when I was on benefits years back I could manage £1.50 for paracetamol suspension (in fact it was more expensive back then than it is now). Nit lotion is ridiculously expensive,I agree, but a big bottle of value hair conditioner and a nit comb is a better option anyway.

My second thought was, my disabled son really needs physio, but seeing as he can walk, he's quite low down the physio's list, there's the one pead physio for the whole trust so she sees the most needy children and until he starts getting injuries from his condition he's not "that" needy. He also needs speech therapy but there's an 18 month waiting list......

Rather than giving out free bottles of calpol, or whatever OTC medication that can be bought cheaply (generic), or in the case of nits lotion instead of recommending the combing, I'd rather the NHS spent the money on giving our children the therapies they need before it becomes a crisis.

Nobody is going to stock up. It doesn't work like that and has never worked like that.

Good grief ffs.

Stuff like this does the rounds and then suddenly people will be more amenable to means testing for NHS health care. .then insurance schemes and privatisation will be brought in..just saying. .