To think NHS Prescriptions are extortionate

[Leobynature]

I am not sure what response I am looking for. Myself and 1 year old have been sick all week with flu. I have developed a chest infection and DD has had breathing problems. After a much appreciated GP visit I was pleased I was given a prescription for antibiotics, pain medication and an inhaler. I was advised to buy ibuprofen and paracetamol for DD as the ‘NHS do not give prescription for calpol’. I was absolutely astonished that this came to over £35! This is a lot from our budget. I don’t think I could afford to be sick again. I don’t know how some families with repeat prescriptions manage it. So annoyed as the pain medication is not even that strong and I could have just ‘overdosed’ on 49p over the counter medication. £9 per med is extortionate

In America it costs loads of money, in certain places they dont even have a health service or drugs available and you just die

All fascinating but totally irrelevant to a uk NHS service user

DH has a lifelong condition. I remember going to buy his first round of prescriptions and it coming to £50 for 2weeks worth. We quickly discovered that spending £104 could buy us a years worth so have done that. I can't believe what a bargain that is, no wonder the NHS loses money. I am bloody grateful though, £50 a month would have been painful and sometimes they only give 2weeks worth and not a month.

I am so grateful for the yearly charge. SO grateful!

I was abroad & visited a walk in doctor
It cost £40 for the diagnosis and one prescription. My illness was cured with the medicine ( not available over the counter)

I'm a fan of the NHS

I pay £8 a month for my medication. Without it I would be dead.
Have a word with yourself OP.

I am not saying she and the sick baby didn't warrant a home visit, but ffs for £35.00 she sure got her money's worth

Absolutely!

OP (or anyone else it may apply to) if you got a receipt and believe you may need more items on prescription. You can apply for the PPC and back date it, you can then get the cost of those items refunded.

*If you’ve applied for a PPC and pay prescription charges while waiting for it to arrive, you can get a refund as long as:

youget an NHSrefund form (FP57) when you pay, as you can’t get one laterthe PPC coversthe date you paid for your prescription

PPCs can be backdated by up to one month. You must claim your refund within 3 months of paying.*

Only about 10 % of prescriptions are actually paid for the other 90%
are free to

are 60 or over
are under 16
are 16 to 18 and in full-time education
are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)
have a specified medical condition and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
have a continuing physical disability that prevents you going out without help from another person and have a valid MedEx
hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability
are an NHS inpatient
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
Universal Credit and meet the criteria
a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate – if you do not have a certificate, you can show your award notice; you qualify if you get Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits with a disability element (or both), and have income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less
a valid NHS certificate for full help with health costs (HC2)
People named on an NHS certificate for partial help with health costs (HC3) may also get help.
a permanent fistula (for example, a caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) requiring continuous surgical dressing or an appliance
a form of hypoadrenalism (for example, Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential
diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism
diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone
hypoparathyroidism
myasthenia gravis
myxoedema (hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone replacement)
epilepsy requiring continuous anticonvulsive therapy
a continuing physical disability that means the person cannot go out without the help of another person (temporary disabilities do not count, even if they last for several months)

They're also issued for people undergoing treatment for cancer:

including the effects of cancer, or
the effects of current or previous cancer treatment

You are paying a proportion of the cost. Many medications are very expensive so as an example an inhaler might cost £55 depending on which you may need and you will pay £9. This is why we are lucky to have the NHS, certainly calpol etc should not be available on the NHS, good job we don’t pay the actual cost, otherwise there would be a number of people without it.

To the PP mentioning having to keep going back to buy a pack of paracetamol, I thought if you spoke to the pharmacist rather than buying off the shelf you could buy larger boxes?

You can, but it’s entirely at the pharmacists discretion and they don’t have to sell them

In the case of my friend buying for his wife they refused to sell him large amounts on a long term basis as they’d be held responsible if he used them to harm himself. Which they are perfectly entitled to do

Of course an unexpected £10 will hurt if you are on a tight budget. This doesn't make prescription costs extortionate, though.

It does to the OP though when she hasn't got any money left at the end of the month to feed herself, it's a relative.

I agree the prescription fees to me are reasonable, but in the OPs case, I have the sense to empathise with where she is coming from.