What should be free but isn't

[mummyrabbitpeppapig]

I'll start. Sanitary protection and condoms.

Part of the issue with paracetamol is that they need to find a way to allow people who need larger amounts to buy it.

My mil can afford to buy her paracetamol, but she can't afford (either in walking pain terms or bus fares) multiple trips to town to buy boxes of paracetamol 30 at a time. Her prescription is for 100+ at a time. If she could buy that then she would.

Maybe there should be a sort-of prescription? Her gp could say "this person need x tablets" and then she could buy them. Instead she gets them on prescription, or ends up having a fall trying to make multiple trips to the chemist.

£13 for thrush treatment 😱

If all OOC medicine was capped at the same price as prescription charges it could possibly reduce the amount of people going to the GP for them.

I do think that children's medicine is a ridiculous cost. You can get adult paracetamol for 15p a packet but a bottle of even the generic calpol is over £5 in my chemist.

Lalalalyra, your mil could buy loads of paracetamol on one trip, she will just need to go to a few shops. She could go to a chemist, then pop into a newsagents, then a supermarket, picking up 2 packets at a time.

Toobusytowee Not everyone can walk round the shops, its one reason why GP's used to write prescriptions for 100 paracetamol.

I doubt lala's MIL can just 'pop' to a variety of shops around a town. The idea that if you have a prescription for 100 paracetamol then you can simply buy that many (the seller would have to destroy the prescription to prevent reuse) seems sensible and workable.

I thought getting OTC medicines such as paracetemol and anti histamines on prescription had recently been abolished?

I think big Pharma should have to cap their prices. I went to Savers today to buy some hayfever medication cetirizine hydrochloride. It cost 49p for 7 tablets or 75p for 14 tablets. Afterwards I went to Tesco and they were selling the GSK branded version of the same medicine at £10 for 30 or £4.50 for 12. Daylight robbery.

Prescriptions in general, can't help it if I'm ill and need it, and I pay my national insurance,

I think getting. A DBS should be free also. And training college and uni.

Toilet roll & Sanitary products

But nenny the other argument is if people choose to pay for the more expensive when they can get the same for less that's their choice. I heard a pharmacy assistant explain to someone that their own calpol was exactly the same as the branded one but yet they still insisted on "proper" calpol!

For people who need a lot of paracetamol or similar surely Drs could give a certificate saying how many they can get (if that makes sense!)

toobusy she can't. A) the town is small. One chemist, one supermarket and the petrol station (who charge ££££ for medicines) and B) even if there were more places she can't walk that far in one go. Nor should she have too!

True, Sirzy, but I expect that for most people it is consumer ignorance rather than any superior quality of the branded OTC medicine versus the unbranded one that leads people to buy the branded product. Also, not everyone stocks the unbranded product, especially smaller shops.

I personally think everyone should be forced to work 40 hours a week for no pay and the govt will deliver a box of healthy food and goods based on average needs and healthy calorie count.

Ok I'll assume that what you meant is in return for 40 hours you would not just get food but would be also be issued a house, clothing, car all bills paid for etc. So what you mean is a communist state.

I expect in that situation all those who couldn't work and contribute to the country would disappear.

I believe that Explore Learning prospectus states that they offer discounts for the unwaged. We looked at Explore Learning as a short term measure when. Dd was stressing about the Sats but to me it seemed like tuition on the cheap even though it isn't really that cheap.

@IStoleThisUsername
" a bottle of even the generic calpol is over £5 in my chemist."

That's outrageous! Is this a bumper pack with added unicorns?

Boots 'calpol' is £2.65.

Lloyds 'calpol' is £2.49.

I'm in a small village with an independent chemist. They make up the rules as they know there's no other choice unless you want to drive 30 miles away to the nearest city, so I buy as much as I can when shopping. Have definitely been caught out a few times though when I've needed calpol or sanpro (3.99 for a pack of 16!)

'I personally think everyone should be forced to work 40 hours a week for no pay and the govt will deliver a box of healthy food and goods based on average needs and healthy calorie count.'

Yeah, we tried that already, it's called slavery. There's a very good reason why it's outlawed in most places.

@IStoleThisUsername

Evil profiteering whatsits, offering service in the middle of nowhere .

Water
Nappies
Sanitary products

Tap water is free, and so is water from drinking fountains.

Telephone lines/internet for those who are housebound, to combat loneliness.

How is tap water free? Mine costs 57 pounds a month?

Wow, that's a lot. You still have to pay for having water piped to your home and sewage services, so I don't really count it as paying for a glass of water every time I want one.

PlymouthMaid1

You're not paying for the water, you're paying for the pipes, the treatment and the staff who work for the company.

Tap water is free in restaurants, bars and pubs which sell alcohol.

School transport until school leaving age

Education for public sector professions

Hospital Car Parks

Official documents that you have to have; Birth & death certificates, DBS etc.

currently free - but not consistently available - access to 24-hour district nursing services

....and who is supposed to pay for them? No VAT on them is fair enough but not free!

Butteredparsnips:

Good point about DBSs. At least they could stop requiring multiple ones- it's the same flipping check each time!