AIBU to want to pay for my prescription??

[BellatrixLestat]

Had a prescription I needed to collect today but I was at work so DM offered to go collect it for me.

I had maternity exemption up until 2 weeks ago.

Whilst dispensing the pharmacist said 'oh she's maternity so I'll just tick that off' and my mum, assuming she was right just said 'ok' and that was that.

When she came home and told me this I called the pharmacy and told them the mistake and asked if I could come in and pay. They said no as it's already been claimed for and I am therefore liable for a fine or prosecution if it's checked!

What can I do about this? It was an innocent mistake (prompted by the pharmacist!), and as soon as I realised I tried to rectify it and pay for the prescription! I can't see how it's fair that I'm now liable for a fine when I recognised the mistake immediately and actually tried to pay!

Thankyou everyone.

I think what I am going to do is buy a pre-payment card so at least I am covered for payment. I am going to speak to the pharmacy manager when she's in on Wednesday and tell them that I did inform them my exemption had expired and the date was written down. I'll ask them for a note to be put on my file explaining the mistake so if I do get a fine I'm in a good position to challenge it.

I was fined multiple times because my pharmacist constantly ticked the ‘exempt’ box which I would challenge and pay (luckily on my card so I had proof to overturn the fines each time).

It was so stressful and I got to the point where I dreaded seeing brown envelopes in the post in case it was another fine! And I couldn’t cope with having yet another ground hog day conversation with the pharmacist each time I picked up my prescription.

No advice but so much sympathy.

I would also complain to the pharmacy. They shouldn't assume these things especially when fines are so common now. And, a complaint will record you tried to pay if you ever need proof.

OP what you need to do is you can backdate the pre-payment cert if you do it online - just write the date in the box.

Take care as i got a big fine for this recently after a cert expired. If you get the cert all should be fine.

I had something similar where they'd ticked the prepay box but I'd paid and hadn't realised. Luckily I paid on credit card so had proof of payment but when I called them about find they basically said everyone gets let off once, after that you're stuffed. They keep it on your record. I'd call them now

Considering that you weren't the one who signed the exemption I don't think that they can fine you they are possibly they could fine your mother. I would get a prepayment certificate and backdate it. It could be easily argued that your mother got the reason that you didn't have to pay wrong.

I'd actually call the NHS exemption people and pay over the phone. You should be able to do that.

I got 'caught' in that I hadn't realised you had to send off for a magic piece of paper to be exempt and just thought it was for one year post natal - no need for a piece of paper. No midwife/hospital/pharmacist ever told me otherwise.

They let me off the fine with my daughters birth certificate proving I was eligible, but the fine was pretty hefty....

try ringing the NHs business Authority in Newcastle for advice

If on the off chance your prescription is one of the millions they decide to spot check. You will get a letter asking you to pay. Its only if you don't pay it at that point you will be fined so wouldn't worry too much.

How ridiculous of a system though that you are happy to pay, and want to, but can't even though the prescription was only picked up today. So it might be subject to administrative action which costs time and money, what a waste!

This exact same thing happened to me hut i didnt know until I got a letter through from the nhs about a fine.

You dont get fined straight away. I was given the option of paying the prescription cost.

The system is shit, seems designed to trip people up. Surely someone should have thought to automatically include exemption information on an electronic prescription?

Apparently there is an electronic system that lets pharmacy check if you're exempt, but it's separate to the electronic prescription system, and I think it depends on their IT. Not good enough.

Reading further on the page I found, the exemption checking is actually just a trial at the moment. So maybe things will get better.

For people saying leave it, this is a really big problem!

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/money/2019/oct/30/no-justice-nhs-prescription-charge-fine

OP, you can back date a ppc by a month which would prob be safest bet

The system is horrible. Genuine errors such as yours tend to get fined I'm afraid so you are doing the right thing in getting your case together. Hopefully the backdated prepaid cert will help.

Get the manager to check the cctv, that way he/she can observe the pharmacist filling in the form. This will show that it was not the customer or patient filling it in, so should help prove that it was pharmacy error.

My daughter did similar and got £100 fine but the chemist is correct as it's too late now as everything has gone through.

If you buy a prepayment cert and backdate it, you may still receive a letter, but you'd just need to contact NHSBSA and the fine would be quashed.

To pp saying they couldn't fine op but possibly her mother - no! It's deemed to be the patient's responsibility, so the patient receives the fine.

And the fine wouldn't be quashed just because the pharmacy made a mistake - that would only be if the prescription had actually been paid for.

My daughter did similar and got £100 fine but the chemist is correct as it's too late now as everything has gone through.

It’s not too late to collect evidence to overturn a fine in case one does come through.

Just by way of an update, I complained to the pharmacy manager and she told me (quite curtly) that they had 'reset the whole system' and so I can go in and pay. She didn't seem very happy but it was their mistake to begin with (which they are still denying).

That's good to hear. It was their fault though.