£5 a scan picture?!

[CSISaraSidle]

I was at my ultrasound scan the other day and decided I'd quite like a picture. When my mum had me she got it in a lovely little card thing with corner cutouts to hold it. It was very sweet, and I assumed mine would be the same!
When I was handed a tear off printout that had been torn badly and was told "that'll be £5, please pay at this machine" I was a little !

Yea when i had my son 5 yrs ago it was £5 and a few of my family members wanted a copy so i had to pay £20 for 4 copies

If a scan pic costs pennies to produce ( as stated upthread by a poster whose dad was an ultrasonographer), then charging £5 is making a profit from patients.

Mine came with a little card to hold it in as well. Had mine in 2015 and 2017

Ours cost £10 now - I just paid £30 for three scan pics!

It was £5 in 2012 when I had ds1.

A fiver isn't that bad. I read a booklet that said every NHS Trust has different policies. For my trust they ask for a donation. I willingly gave them £5 for my 12 week scan and then £5 for my 21 week scan. At the end of the day my care has been amazing with the hospital, I've needed so many extra scans and monitoring that I can't begin to imagine how much it must cost the NHS to care for each pregnant lady. So if a tenner helps them with the cost towards something then so be it. Can't complain either that we get free prescriptions for the 2 years of pregnancy and after birth. The scan photos are just a lovely keep sake not essential.

Even when I had my first child 26 years ago you were asked for a donation (suggested donation £3 at a London hospital) so it's not anew thing.

Just imagine how shocked you would be of you had actually been asked to pay for the scan itself

She has paid for it though, via taxation

It's a non-medical non-essential service. They can charge you whatever the hell they want for it. The point of the scans on the NHS is to check on the health of the baby. If you want a fancy picture then you should have to pay for it IMO. The NHS isn't there to provide gift sakes and momentos. It's to provide health care.

iknowiwbubut it was meant to be a lighthearted whoa thread, but I guess some people feel very strongly about scan pictures and their value!

Just make sure you don’t try and laminate it.

racecar I would pay for a scan myself, if I needed to. Luckily I've paid tax all my working life and therefore get free at the point of delivery healthcare. I'm happy to pay, but the cost was never stated and therefore came as a shock- that's all.

I was actually very glad that people commented about laminating, DryHeave, because I actually just ordered a laminator (for other purposes) and was going to do just that!

The mind boggles. Every day another story about how the NHS is struggling to provide services or how people can't get the drugs they need to live, and you're upset you had to pay for a photo.

Hope you enjoyed your free scan, £5 is a bargain

I can't actually believe someone has suggested the OP complain because the scan letter didn't have the costs of the scan photos on it. What do you suggest? A list of prices for different sized photos like you get in Boots or Max Spielman?

It's a diagnostic test, not a photo opportunity. It isn't always going to go well sadly. Sending letters out to expectant parents ahead of a scan about what photos they can buy and how much they cost is totally inappropriate. No medical professional in their right mind would do this. Offering photos after a clear scan is fine but it shouldn't be offered before.

DS was born in 1987. They didn't do photos back then. But the very nice sonographer did a freeze frame so I could sketch the image to show DH who was working away. I still have it so I get how important scan photos are.

It was not a free scan. Presumably OP pays her taxes?

Ours are £6 - and must be paid in advance! It does say on our scan letter though.
I hope they'd refund it if you had an MMC - I hadn't thought of that. Seems very insensitive.