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!

I work in a pharmacy, we do not offer this service (thank goodness)
It's open to abuse, people often approach us saying can we get "free" calpol?
News flash, it's not free, the nhs has to pay for it, no wonder it is on its knees
It boils my piss the items people get "for free"
Paracetamol, 19p, NHS £10
Gluten free rolls, tesco £2 NHS £23.50
Gluten free flour NHS £47
Cakes NHS £43
Not to mention the endless ibuprofen, aspirin, sun creams, pasta
And consider that 90% of prescriptions are given out for free

It's the tip of the iceberg,
Please please please buy these items listed yourself, most are available for around £1

Bit off topic, but just to show appreciation for the huge NHS subsidies for medications.
I recently had to travel overseas for a few weeks. I took sufficient diabetic and other necessary meds to last the duration of my planned stay, but for various unforeseen reasons had to extend my stay by some weeks, and so ran out of meds. Went to local GP for her to write a new prescription. Was charged nearly £100 for the consultation alone. When I finally got the new prescription, most of my meds were very low-cost, probably less than I'd pay in the UK. However, one in particular cost me nearly £100.00 for a months supply. I don't mind paying these costs (it's a developing country, and I haven't paid into their health services so don't expect to get access to health care and meds for free). As diabetes is a regarded as a chronic condItion, I have a medical exemption, so do not pay for my OTC medications in the UK. Its made me so much more appreciative of the huge costs to the NHS of heavily subsidised medications. I would never dream of wasting a GP's time and NHS funds by asking for generic items like aspirin or ibuprofen on prescription.

Ovex for instance costs £9 at the pharmacy for a family pack (worm treatment)

A prescription for it would cost the user £8.60. So if a person is entitled to free prescriptions, it is cost effective FOR THE USER to go to the doctor for one.

HOWEVER each doctor's appointment costs upwards of £40. Making it better if the user can go to the pharmacy, fill in a form and get it "for free" - JUST LIKE AT THE DOCTOR but at less public cost.

That is what the minor ailment scheme is about.

as every under 16 year old gets free prescriptions, this scheme is open to abuse by total dickheads who could just buy their child some paracetamol or hayfever tabs.

as every under 16 year old gets free prescriptions, this scheme is open to abuse by total dickheads who could just buy their child some paracetamol or hayfever tabs

Yes, but these are already the people who take up a whole doctor's appointment to do exactly the same. This way is cheaper to the taxpayer - as my pharmacist says - yes people will abuse any system, some people will get stuff for nothing that they should pay for - but the cost of seeing a doctor is so much more, that it saves us taxpayers' money anyhow.

I would rather people obtained these medicines from the pharmacist than clog up GP surgeries. This would mean that people that need to be seen can get a GP appointment and receive the treatment they need at the right time, preventing potentially serious complications (e.g. stroke when high BP not treated) and improving people's lives and saving NHS budget. It's much cheaper to give families on low income a few bottles of Calpol for their children than treat an elderly person following a massive stroke, not to mention the impact on quality of life, both of the person and their carers.

I suspect a lot of people who would not dream of hassling their gp for free calpol are happy to get their 'free' stuff from the pharmacy. its really really sad to see our nhs abused by such dicks.

*Ovex costs £9 at the pharmacy for a family pack. prescription would cost the user £8.60. So if a person is entitled to free prescriptions, it is cost effective FOR THE USER to go to the doctor for one. HOWEVER each doctor's appointment costs upwards of £40. Making it better if the user can go to the pharmacy, fill in a form and get it "for free" - JUST LIKE AT THE DOCTOR but at less public cost.

That is what the minor ailment scheme is about*

OR YOU COULD PAY. FOR. IT. YOURSELF.

If you can afford calpol then buy the bloody calpol yourself. Do you not think there is enough strain on the NHS without getting these relatively cheap meds for free.
FWIW, I already knew about it and disagreed with it long before DD came along.

YABVU

Thankfully the criteria for prescribing such things has now been tightened up hasn't it? So hopefully that will stop people wasting Gp time.

Ds is on a daily antihistamine but his is prescription only and part of a much wider treatment plan (11 other medicines!) but if I could pay for his antihistamine I would

I would rather people obtained these medicines from the pharmacist than clog up GP surgeries

Why are some posters unable to grasp this:

The free from a pharmacist scheme ALSO costs money from the health service!

Buy it from a shop/shelf!

Theredjellybean if you are a GP why have you consistently misspelled paracetamol.

Oh God, I hate it when this pops up doing the rounds-OP, you should be ashamed of yourself posting this.

The NHS is on its knees as it is. Free prescriptions are there for people who genuinely need it.

It can cost you 79p to get non brand infant paracetamol. It will on average cost the NHS around £7+.

Please please don't waste resources like this if you can help it.

OR YOU COULD PAY. FOR. IT. YOURSELF

Perhaps you misunderstand - I am not a user of the scheme, I work in a community pharmacy that operates a minor ailment scheme. We get maybe 3 people a week - one is usually a single mum desperate for help, lice treatment/worms etc - 2 are people who could probably afford it (going by looks alone - shallow I know...) , but who would go to the doc for a free prescription.

£120+ of doctor's time saved. 3 more people a week who can get an appointment to see the doc.

Even if the system is abused it is cheaper.

To those who say why would you get paracetamol from your GP, sometimes there's no other option. DM has to take it regularly for arthritis and gets it prescribed in boxes of 100. Until it's possible to buy large quantities over the counter, perhaps with a letter from the GP, there is no other option than getting it on prescription.

Regarding indigestion meds, I have reflux and was told to buy my own Gaviscon, I wasn't offered a prescription. It costs me a bloody fortune if I'm going through a bad spell! I can't believe some people get it on prescription.

how do you know they would go to the gp though? it suits the pharmacy of course as they make more money than just selling the otc stuff

and yes, sometimes there is no option other than prescription. I dont think any of us are bothered about that.

We know they would go to the GP as one of the questions we have to ask when ticking the boxes on the forms is: "What would you have done if you could not have got this medication for free today?"

So great to read that so many on MN can afford to buy these generic brands off the counter so they don't need to get them on prescription - which does cost more.

But jesus, some people actually can't even afford to spend 19p on a box of paracetamol. That's why people are using foodbanks ffs. Asylum seekers are expected to live on £36 a week, so yes actually some people don't have a choice and do need to get certain medication on prescription.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/26/destitute-syrian-asylum-seekers-fear-deportation

So on't be so judgemental and stop giving the OP such a hard time.

(And the NHS is up shit creek because of underfunding and privatisation)

Painting, not on this thread maybe but I have had someone having a go at me on another forum as I said I don't have the time to go round every pharmacy in the area stocking up on paracetamol for DM. I got the impression people thought the NHS is on its knees because of me!

I also got told that if she has prescriptions she can clearly get out to buy her own paracetamol

(They are on repeat and delivered to her by the pharmacy)

shouldn't this be taken down.its too far passed the line of medical to be on a forum where people have such different views and circumstance and some wont be avle to stop themselves using it possibly for the bad.carrot and a stick.because even I am looking a the lsit and thinking oh wouldn't that be a pressure off.but we still pay in the end because we will be paying the nhs cost more in the long run

Worms medication is actually pretty expensive.

If those are not prescription medicines, why on earth are they on the list set up by the NHS/government??
Maybe because ... they are prescription medicines?

The fact that we can also buy them over the counter doesn't mean they aren't also prescription medicines.

ALso this system was out in place to RELIEVE GP surgeries so that people don't automatically go to see a GP when this could be treated by a pharmacist. I personally don't agree with that, that's not the role of pharmacists, but if the system is there and in place, how can you be shouting at people who are reminding others that the system is there to used? A system there to HELP the NHS work more efficiently??

My mind boggles atm.

Btw I really don't agree that paracetamol cost the NHS more.
Ot shouod cost the NHS the same than what you buy as a generic médecine. 19p.
Not the £3 or £4 that a prescription costs a patient.....