Assistant in Boots. Is he right about this?

[Janey50]

I am on a low income but don't automatically qualify for free prescriptions and dental treatment aa I am not in receipt of the benefits that make you eligible. A friend of my DD's said to ask in a pharmacy for a health care costs certificate application form,which could get me help with prescription costs and dental treatment. I asked an assistant in the pharmacy department in a large Boots chemist for a form. He told me I would need to ask my doctor to provide it. When I said I was told that I could pick one up in a pharmacy,he said that I needed my doctor to confirm that I was in receipt of the drugs that meant I could get free prescriptions. I was getting confused by now and said that I wanted the form for a certificate for people on a low income. He said 'There is no such thing. There is only a certificate for people who have certain drugs, such as thyroid or diabetes drugs to show they can get all their prescriptions free'. Is this right? Or has he got his facts wrong? Or have I misunderstood something?

i learnt long ago not to ask for advice in Boots pharmacy. They almost always just seemed to talk nonsense. I go to independent pharmacies or LLoyds.

I'd go back and explain to him that you've got the form now op, and that this is the one you wanted (for his future reference, so he doesn't advise anyone else incorrectly).

Mind you I've noticed before that people tend to give me 'Fuck off' face when I do this, so judge your situation accordingly

There was some controversy in the news about Boots recently: apparently since they have been taken over, there is a push for pharmacists to make money, rather than to stick to neutral medical advice. (So e.g. to recommend a branded cough medicine rather than a generic simple linctus). A lot of pharmacy staff were trying to whistle blow, and quite a few left. Not sure if this has anything to do with that, but it is concerning.

I do think that you should go back and speak to the pharmacist themselves, to let them know that you have obtained a form that their assistant told you didn't exist.

Second the prepayment certificate if you need more than one paid item per month and don't qualify for help with costs. The most anyone in England needs to pay for prescription medicine is £10.40 per month.

However, as they are free in Scotland and Wales and 80/90% of English prescriptions are also free, I do wonder if the costs in administering prescription charges for the few people who do pay for them outweighs the cost of just providing them free to everyone.

If we could prevent a few selfish idiots who are not on the breadline from getting paracetamol free on prescription instead of buying them for 20 pence in the supermarket, totally free prescriptions would be the way to go.

Barbara I get free prescriptions (ALL prescriptions) for life on account of having an underactive thyroid; I'd quite happily pay for the ones I get which aren't related to that condition! I could easily afford to....

LaContessaDiPlum but you can actually, in fact its quite easy you don't show your medex card you don't tick the medex box the back of the script and you don't sign the declaration saying you don't have to pay, unless your new medication is on the same script as your thyroxine there no reason why you have to claim.

I had a medex card in Oct 2014 I had a chest infection, which as far as I am concerned was nothing to do with my underactive thyroid, I was prescribed Antibiotics, Steroids and an inhaler I didn't claim using my card I paid for the lot

NOW I cant as I am over 60 and as my DOB is printed on my prescription I get automatic exemption I don't have to tick any boxes or sign the declaration so last year when I had the same meds I offered to pay but I couldn't, I assure you that if I actually had to claim (which I would have had to if my DOB was handwritten or not on the script) and show age ID I wouldn't have claimed I would have paid.

I dont understand how someone working for Boots wouldn't know about form HC2 as they have to ask to see the certificate before they give you your prescription.