To promote the 'hidden' prescription medicines you can get without a prescription and for free for kids (England only)

[Mehfruittea]

Photo attached, taken from my local pharmacy copy. All you do is go to your chemist and ask to be seen under the minor ailment scheme.

Inspired by the other thread on things that should be free:

Paracetamol, hay fever relief, gaviscon, ibuprofen, Hedrin etc can all be prescribed by a chemist and dispensed. Obviously it's free of charge for kids. So no need to waste a GP appointment!

Agree with the posters saying YABU!

VERY!

There's not a soul alive in this country who can't afford 19p for a pack of paracetamol!

Pay for it yourself

I dont understand this. These are not prescription meds

And yes. Please do buy your own. You don't need a script, you don't need minor ailments. Just buy your own.

YABVU this scheme used by people who could easily afford to buy their own calpol costs the NHS a fucking fortune.

They always try to push the minor ailments scheme on me at the chemist. I don't need it so just pay for the meds myself.
But I can see why some find it helpful.

Well I work for the NHS and I use occasionally for the more expensive stuff like thrush treatment it as it's my revenge for the bastards charging £30 a month to park when I have no other option but to drive.
But in principle I kind of agree that it's wrong.

DipsyLaLa22 Yes, but the online method is (I assume) faster since the questionnaire is standard (hence diagnostically simpler) and the follow up if there is one takes about 2 minutes via email rather than 10 face to face. Also there is no overhead of receptionist, surgery etc.

YABVU.

It's not available in all areas it isn't where I live. Having worked in a pharmacy anything people can get for free they will.

£14 a month for my anti-depressants that allow me to function, but yeah you go ahead and claim your 'free' calpol.

meds that cost you pennies in a shop cost the NHS pounds if they have to go through the prescription process (which involves trained staff's time!! and no the store where the pharmacist works doesn't pay the difference, the health service does!)

YABU unless you are on the bones of your arse!

Ffs I live in Wales and the rare times I need a prescription they are free. I can easily afford it and would be happy to pay rather than have the shambles that is the Welsh NHS from the Welsh Labour government.

Erm kind of didn't make a point there as I've drunk wine 😂

But anyway, you're U.

How much does each prescription cost the NHS (without the cost of the drug itself)?

I wouldn't go to the doctor for any of those things and they aren't free, other tax payers will be picking up the tab.

What sort of parent begrudges buying those things for their children?

Far too many already believe their choice to have children should cost them nothing.

I think it's a minimum of £1.13 per script.

Babycham - have you looked into the prepayment certificates? They work out £10 a month so sounds like it may be a good option for you.

There's not a soul alive in this country who can't afford 19p for a pack of paracetamol!

There really is, I've had days where I have had literally no money, not even 19p for paracetamol, I realise very few people ever find themselves in that situation but it does happen.

This is very apt for me, I met a friend for coffee yesterday and she was telling me that she had got three lots of nit treatment for her dd under this scheme.

They have just come back from three weeks in Florida. I feel that it's abused by some people.

I didn't know you could get that for free.

My ds has senna liquid, antihistamine and movicol on prescription.

I get people moan at me because I tend to buy the senna and ceririzine from Tesco pharmacy when I'm shopping.

Mostly because I'm crap at remembering to put in repeats and partly because for a few quid per bottle and the funds to do so I just think it keeps him well so why not?

There's not a soul alive in this country who can't afford 19p for a pack of paracetamol!

There really is, I've had days where I have had literally no money, not even 19p for paracetamol, I realise very few people ever find themselves in that situation but it does happen.

I've not had money for the pay phone in the PST (back when we used pay phones!) still skint but nothing like that. It must be nice to not comprehend what poor looks like

Yabvvvvvu. It boils my piss when people do this. A generic £1 bottle of a look ends up costing over £10. Please don't do it.

How much does each prescription cost the NHS (without the cost of the drug itself)?

I'm pretty sure I read that a 19p pack of paracetamol costs the NHS about £7 but my memory could be off

It's not the cost of the drug it's the admin and the checks by qualified staff and the staff's time etc. If you get a pharmacist to give you free paracetamol via a publically funded scheme the pharmacists time costs, the auditing costs, the dispensing costs…. because even if the pharmacist is based in a commercial pharmacy - the company can charge for public health schemes.. and then there's the cost of admin for funding…. it goes on and on

If you buy it off the shelf then boots MAKES a few pennies

There are so many people going to their doctors for a prescription for minor ailments, this was set up to save money by encouraging people to see the pharmacist instead.

Or just go to the pharmacy, ask for advice and buy the product over the counter.

If you need something that you can buy OTC you should buy it OTC imo unless you genuinely cannot afford to do so.

My dd needs ranitidine and antihistamine every day I could get them on prescription if I remembered to drive to gp put request in then go back after 48 hrs to collect it or I could add both to my online shop and get them delivered hmm tough choice. If I wanted to save money I can even buy these items in Poundland. I don't want to take nhs resources when I know people can't get cancer drugs they need.