What should be free but isn't

[mummyrabbitpeppapig]

I'll start. Sanitary protection and condoms.

Not rtft but agree with lifelong meds being free.

For those saying hospital parking should be free for all those who attend regularly or visit sick relatives. It can be!! Every trust have exemption forms and slips that can be given to visitors to have their tickets validated without charge. I sign loads and hand them out to pretty much every relative...the people who work main reception hate me!! I have car parking charges deducted from my wages each month for the privilege of never being able to find a space on site so figure giving others in need a free pass makes good use of those charges

hospital parking are all free in Scotland.

Not everywhere.

Inhalers, definitely!

Lindt chocolate

Other than that: prescriptions for all, hospital car parks, eye tests, dental care, higher education, public transport for carers etc.

HRT, there could be murders if I couldn't afford it one day.

As for hospital parking, I had to go and cover a colleague who was off sick at the hospital podiatry dept where I don't normally work so I don't have a parking permit. It cost me £14 which I am not getting back!!
I was not allowed to park in staff without a permit and the nearest non hospital parking is a mile away up hill and as I use a walking stick I can't do that.
Disgusting.

Nothing should be free, nothing is free. Some of it is just very heavily subsidised.

However, access to jobs that pay a decent living wage should be massively increased.

climbs off high horse and goes for a bath

Sanitary products, washable nappies, prescriptions, necessary dental treatment, undergraduate university fees.

I'm assuming the reference to cancer treatments is the thing where people are always raising money for someone with cancer to go to Germany, America etc to get treatment they can't get here. If a treatment exists, it should be available everywhere.

Sanitary products. There are lots of medical conditions out there that are not free to treat; I have an eye condition that costs a small fortune. I don't believe in things like university being free because it's not essential to life to have a degree.

Fire alarms - I'm not saying that because of what happened yesterday, I've always thought it crazy that they aren't given to every household free

putdownyourphone I think you can call your local fire station and they'll come and install them for you

You can get free fire alarms - in this area at least the local fire station will come out and do a fire safety check and fit alarms

Where's the Magic Money Tree?

Why on earth should condoms be free?

toffeecake because other contraceptives are free and condoms prevent the spread of diseases which cost the NHS £££ to treat.

Other prescriptions aren't free. Unless you meet certain requirements you have to pay for pill e.t.c. Who's going to pay to have the condoms made? Who's going to give the NHS money for them?

Sorry if mentioned before, prescriptions for some conditions are free.
An annual payment is £104 which makes sense if you need more than 12 prescriptions a year.
There are free eye test for certain medical conditions for example if a relative has had glaucoma.
Also pharmacists will give out some over the counter medicines for free so that people don't go to the doctor.
Agree that they should be free for all.

The pill is free for everyone. Condoms are not. The fpc I used to go to did have some but other places they are only free for under 25's

Not all pharmacist. Only in some areas.

Ladyncement public sector professions. Nurses, paramedics, teachers, midwives, physios.

I don't know where you live toffee but certainly in England the contraceptive pill and other contraceptives including the coil, implant, injection are prescribed free of charge. They have been free of charge since before I started using contraceptives over 20 years ago.

I think everyone should pay tiered prescriptions and for GP appts.

I hjave a letter in front of me from my GP asking me to see them about a blood test result.

At the moment if I had to pay for a GP appointment I would put it in the bin because I cannot afford anything not budgeted for.

Then you need to think about the cost of actually charging. Every single NHS receptionist / surgery manager would need to be retrained.

There are about 70 000 GPs in this country, so say there is a receptionist for each one (Most GPs are in a joint practice and most have more than one receptionist) even if that training is 2 hours at minimum wage it would cost the NHS about half a million.

Then there is the cost of assessing who should get free GP appointments, would it be on family income? Would it be on medical condition?

Finally if you have to pay to go to your GP but not A and E where are you going to go if you are not sure or you are skint?

I think basic dental care should be free. Everybody has appalling teeth now, a lot of my friends my age have rotten teeth with gaps everywhere. You would think decent teeth would be part of healthcare given the health problems oral infections can cause.