Prescription penalty charge notice

[Penaltycharge]

Sorry if this is long.

Recently I was in a car accident and following that unable to drive / walk with ease for a short period due to injuries sustained. I take regular medication and this ran out during the period I was immobilised for. I phoned my doctors and explained the situation who were happy for a third party to collect my prescription for me.

A neighbour kindly agreed to collect it for me. I gave her £20, told her that I pay for my prescriptions (2 items) and she went to collect it. She returned with my medication and thought it was all sorted.

Today (3 months later) I receive a prescription penalty charge notice for the prescription that my neighbour collected. It seems she didn’t pay for it and now I am being fined. I contacted the neighbour first of all who is absolutely adamant that she paid for the prescription as I said, although she no longer has a receipt as it has been 3 months.

I then contacted the phone number on the letter to state that I did not collect the prescription and explained why, explained that I asked my neighbour to collect and pay for the prescription and gave her the money to do so and that as far I was aware until today this had been paid for. I was told this does not matter and it is my responsibility to make sure it is paid for.

AIBU I’m thinking this

a) punishes people for deception that was not their own. If my neighbour has indeed pocketed my money then I am basically being fined for being the victim of theft and deception.

b) directly discriminates against those who cannot collect their own prescriptions, the physically disabled etc.

c) cannot be legal! If someone stole my car I wouldn’t be liable for the parking or speeding tickets so why am I liable for this fine when I had no knowledge of my neighbours assumed theft from me.

Has anyone had any chance in appealing this. They are telling me there is no right to appeal unless I believe I should not have paid it (which is not the case as I do pay for prescriptions and thought I had paid for this one) and if I don’t pay it in 14 days it doubles.

Speak to citizens advice. They have an online chat facility that I used recently that was helpful. You at least need to notify those concerned that this Is in dispute and confirm that no extra charges will be added while it's being looked into. Otherwise it could snowball and end up costing you more.

Those asking why it has taken 3 months for the fine to come the NHSBSA who sort prescriptions always work 3 months behind.

Proof that there is no appeal process. I have asked numerous times to appeal and they have said you can’t.

You have not been treated unfairly. It is the patient's responsibility to give the correct information. If the patient chooses to rely on someone else to collect the prescription and provide the information any failure by that person is a matter between the patient and that person. It's not the NHS's fault and the NHS should not be out of pocket.

You could have told the neighbour you needed a receipt.

It's entirely possible that the chemist made a mistake and got your script confused with another one. Ticking the box instead of writing in the amount, maybe they were busy and the worker was a bit distracted human error obviously does happen.

It's certainly not a failsafe system.

I had a pcn saying I had claimed I had an exemption cert.
I have a repeat prescription and always pay. I rang the helpline and they told me to write in and appeal. As it was from a period about four months ago I obviously didn’t have the receipt so I sent a copy of my bank statement although I’d obviously bought something else at the same time as the entry was for more than £8.80. They cancelled the pcn.
When I collected my next prescription I asked them to make sure they ticked the right box (I always signed and left them to fill in the other bits) as I’d had a pcn.
The assistant said they don’t tick anything and then checked the top of the prescription and they’d put an “F” on it. Then said that meant on their system I was registered as being exempt! Presumably “F” means free?
I asked them to alter it whilst I was there as if it was randomly checked again I doubt they’d cancel another pcn.
I’ll also check when I pick up my next one to make sure they’ve amended the system.

If the patient chooses to rely on someone else to collect the prescription and provide the information any failure by that person is a matter between the patient and that person. It's not the NHS's fault and the NHS should not be out of pocket.

Well, if you are immobile and unable to get out to collect a prescription you are hardly choosing to rely on someone else are you?

Given the isolation that many people are living in and the woeful lack of official support many people are left to manage best way they can. Some people don't have the choice of who to ask for help.

A friend of mine posted about this on Facebook a few days ago. In her case apparently she'd fraudulently claimed pregnancy exemption - she hadn't claimed any exemption and isn't pregnant! A bit of digging around found the following article:

www.theguardian.com/money/2019/feb/03/nhs-prescriptions-free-fraud-penalty-charge

So it appears that this is happening quite a bit and may well not have been your neighbour being dishonest OP!

It’s a truly terrible system.

I had a pcn a years ago for a tick mark that anyone who subsequently handled the form could have made.

I always now score through the top half of the form, and fill in the amount. I also ensure I get a receipt.

What I do find staggering tho Is the amount of pharmacy staff who are just willing to hand over the drugs without collecting payment. I have a friend who is an ACT in a pharmacy and she says that a lot of staff aren’t used to having to check as most medicines are dispensed free / prepayment cert etc. The last script I picked up the member of staff tried to just hand me the medicine and I said “erm no I need to pay”. And she was the bloody shop manager!

Wellthisisshit it's a bit weird with Universal Credit. If you get under a certain amount (I think £317 a month but not certain) you can get free prescriptions. I'm not sure what happens if you get more because of a dependent.

There is no UC box on prescriptions - I was told to tick income related JSA and put in my NI code but a ppi said that knew someone who was fined for this. It might be best to ring the UC helpline and ask for them to send a letter confirming if you're eligible for free prescriptions that you can use if it is ever queried.

@WellThisIsShit I receive income related ESA and get free prescriptions.

I was also incorrectly fined, but the fine was cancelled after I appealed. I paid for my prescription on card, but the pharmacy must have ticked the maternity exception box as they were used to me being exempt (my certificate had run out a week before). I threw away the receipt but luckily had my card statement to prove it. It's not a good system as there's nothing to stop an exemption box being ticked by someone in the pharmacy in error, even when you've paid!

@PettyContractor precisely what his partner said! Not even sure he realised it needed to be paid for!

It does seem a great idea to put a line through all the exemptions if you're paying. What a crap system.

OP they are saying you can’t appeal because your representative collected the prescription for free.

But your neighbour says she paid. So that’s a different ground for appeal, the same as those people in the Guardian article who appealed on the basis that they had paid when they were accused of not paying. You need your neighbour to tell the authority that she paid. Might not work if no proof but it’s a start. And If she refuses to do so then you know she ripped you off.

Your neighbour may not have done anything wrong. There was a news article this week about thousands of people being wrongly accused of this [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/10/nhs-falsely-accuses-thousands-patients-prescription-fraud].

@jessiemcjessie. They are acknowledging that my neighbour paid but say I have to take it up with them, it still does not give me the right to appeal.

My friend got a fine too for it but proved she’d paid on her card and successfully appealed it. Didn’t take long to go through either

I’d go back and ask to see the prescription where they say she ticked the box saying you were exempt. Surely if you’re disputing this they need to prove it.

They're not acknowledging that your neighbour paid, they're acknowledging that you say your neighbour paid. (Although the phrasing is clumsy)

I'd ask for a copy of the prescription to show that they ticked the box and signed. They absolutely cannot impose a fine without any form of proof or appeal. They need to reasonably demonstrate that payment was not made. Ie by producing a copy of the prescription

They need to reasonably demonstrate that payment was not made. Ie by producing a copy of the prescription

I think OP has said they did that- the income sure box had been ticked.

Well, if you are immobile and unable to get out to collect a prescription you are hardly choosing to rely on someone else are you?
You are relying on someone else and it's up to you to make sure the person is trustworthy.

I know this doesn't help your situation, but your OP mentioned those who are disabled and cannot collect their own prescriptions. Those who are unable to do so without help due to continuing physical disability can ask their GP to complete a medical exemption form. The GP may not be aware of this category.

This seems really unfair. It is not right at all. I would suggest writing to your local MP? They are sometimes good at shaking up idiotic bureaucracy

Very frustrating but I do see how you’re liable. Could you imagine the loopholes otherwise?

You are relying on someone else and it's up to you to make sure the person is trustworthy.

But how?!