Maternity Exemption Prescription Penalty Charge!

[SmileCheese]

On Friday I received a letter for a penalty charge notification for claiming free prescriptions without a valid medical exemption. I submitted the form for exemption due to pregnancy after receiving it at my second midwife appointment (I only remember because it was a different midwife who gave it me and I saw the same midwife for all other appointments).

Apparently you are meant to receive a certificate/letter back after they process the form which you then show to get the free prescriptions/dental care. Clueless me as a FTM had no idea to expect anything back so naturally didn't chase it when no such letter arrived.

I rang the number on the charge letter this morning and the women who answered said it was my own fault for receiving the charge as apparently everyone knows you receiving this letter/certificate. I genuinely had no idea and at no point has anyone ever asked for it when I have collected prescriptions or visited the dentist during my pregnancy or after (my baby is now a month old).

The women on the end of the phone was pretty unhelpful but said she would waive the fine but I'd still have to pay the prescription charge, which I was happy to do and then she dropped the bombshell that any other fines I received for both prescriptions and dental treatment would not be waived and I'd have to pay them in full!

The fine I received was from October and I collected prescriptions every week, sometimes more than once as I had Gestational Diabetes so I'm looking at potentially 3 months worth of fines! Is there anything I can do about this? I feel like I've been let down by the fact no one ever explained I'd get a letter to show and no one ever asked me for it. I'm not sure how I could have known about needing a physical letter.

Each fine is the charge for the prescription and a £90 penalty fee an amount I wont be able to afford should I receive one for every prescription I've collected. Is there anything I can do at all, other than pray I receive no more fines.

@catlady3 - I've been in that position too with prescriptions and other things. There is no box for Universal Credit so you have to tick the closest thing. Hope I don't get a fine!

With trying to get a council tax discount I kept getting asked for my ESA award letter - which I didn't have as I am on Universal Credit and you don't get an award letter for that. Just one of the many, many ways UC does not work.

OP - I think you'll be fine. Get a letter from your midwife. The lady is ridiculous - how were you to know that you should have been sent something, especially as noone ever asked for it!

OP - I think you'll be fine. Get a letter from your midwife. The lady is ridiculous - how were you to know that you should have been sent something, especially as noone ever asked for it!

I think that's my best option, I'm hoping it will be straightforward when I nip in later and ask for a letter and a new form to send to them. I did ask the women how I was meant to know and that's when she helpfully argued everyone knows. There really was no reasoning with her and despite pointing out I would have got in touch to query where the certificate was if I had known she was very much operating in computer says no mode.

If you don't have the certificate / have been issued one it doesn't matter if you were pregnant or not. I didn't get given a fork during mh 2nd pregnancy and I asked the pharmacist about it and he said you're only entitled to free prescriptions during pregnancy if you have the correct paper work ie the certificate not just because your obviously pregnant. He said I could get the forms etc if I wanted and they'd be valid from the month that it was received by the People who process the form however I didn't bother as I didn't need any prescriptions that pregnancy

I did in my last pregnancy so I got the forms and sent it off. I picked up a prescription a week or so after I sent the form and the pharmacist asked if I had an exemption (spotting I was pregnant) and I said I'd sent off my forms but not received anything. He said he'd tick the box and let me have it feee because I would be covered for that month as I'd sent the form in but he checked very throughly I had indeed sent it earlier that month because it's only valid from the month they receive the form and he didn't want me get a penalty

I'm really shocked you were never asked for you certificate. I was every time so they could write down a number

Regardless as to whether you actually physically had the certificate, you were pregnant and eligible for one so I don't see the issue?

This is how it should work - but unfortunately there is such a lack of common sense and decency about - especially among some jobsworths.

I got a card through which pharmacists and my dentist asked for so they could write my exemption card number down.

All you can is ask and plead ypu didn't realise, but i reckon you'l probably have to pay. As a pp said, its only valid from when you apply

This is how it should work - but unfortunately there is such a lack of common sense and decency about - especially among some jobsworths.

Its reassuring to know my expectations were not completely bizarre. I genuinely thought by sending the form I was covered and it would make so much more sense for them to do it electronically as a PP mentioned. Although suspect they wont change it to that system as its an easy way for them to make money.

I was hoping that speaking to a person would resolve the issue but obviously it didn't. I just hope other first time parents might see this and realise you actually need a physical bit of paper.

I'm also pretty frustrated that no one ever asked me for it and they don't seem to care that the pharmacists/dental receptionist didn't do that part of their job as this could have been resolved months ago and I wouldn't be in the situation I am now worrying about further fines.

Hope you get some help at the surgery, and totally understand your frustrations op! even if midwife not in, explain to reception and get them to pass onto midwife.

The craziness of this given everywhere else in the UK pays the same tax rates but just get... free prescriptions!

The certificate I got was a little card with a valid to date on.

That said if I hadn't have received something I would have assumed I was automatically eligible via electronic checks rather than a little plastic card (which whilst more practical, I personally wouldn't describe as a 'certificate').

I have no idea why pregnant (poorly) women are expected to know how the system works simply because those operating the system (on a daily basis) know about it. Pregnancy felt like a secret club that has all sorts of rules and processes you only find out by accident.

The craziness of this given everywhere else in the UK pays the same tax rates but just get... free prescriptions!

See I don't actually mind paying for prescriptions, I go by the logic that it could be much worse if we had to pay for the actual cost of the medication. However I did really resent her telling me I had claimed them fraudulently all because I didn't have a bit of paper.

I will admit I'm pretty envious that the rest of the UK don't have to face such pointless bureaucracy.

The form I sent off (May last year). Resend me to fill in some details too. The midwife did her bit and I assumed that was that but it required stuff from me too.

I'm assuming if you didn't do anything to the form even if they received it they might not have processed it because you hadn't filled out your bits?

OP I've got one of these too. I thought the certificate was like the mat1B, just a form signed by the midwife.

Daft waste of admin time checking it up.

I'm assuming if you didn't do anything to the form even if they received it they might not have processed it because you hadn't filled out your bits?

She filled In everything at the time even my details whilst her colleague did my bloods etc. I think all I had to do was sign it but it was done so long ago I honestly cannot remember. I'm assuming it never arrived after I posted it but I have no way of checking as I didn't send it signed for.

Ok off to the doctors now, fingers crossed they can help me resolve the issue and I can get some form of note which may help me better plead my case should I receive any more fines.

This happened to my friend. She got a letter from the doctor confirming her pregnancy dates and her midwife confirming that she'd sealed the form for her, so she had a certificate issued, but she had to pay the fines as she'd fraudulently claimed those prescriptions. They sent her a copy of the prescriptions showing that the sentence says that you have a maternity exemption certificate, not that you're pregnant and entitled to one.

I don't know if things have changed since then but if not, I'd prepare to be able to argue for the prescription charges to be covered as you were pregnant, but the fines to stand as you weren't eligible for the exemption without the certificate.

The maternity exemption gets backdated 1 month from when it's received, and you'll def need to pay the prescription charge.

Ridiculous - OP is so obviously not some arch NHS defrauding criminal - meanwhile all sorts for waste and abuse of the NHS goes unchecked.

All the people saying "well you should have had x.." fine - but OP didn't know and it wasn't clear, so how about we have an outbreak of actual reality instead of just chanting on about "the rules" however daft the process is?

"but the fines to stand as you weren't eligible for the exemption without the certificate.*
It's no wonder there's lack of respect for the law when it's this fucking stupid.

You can challenge the fine.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2019/05/1-7-million-nhs-fines-overturned/

This might be helpful to you.

I know somebody else caught out by this but I suppose the back of the prescription does say to declare you have a maternity exception certificate and you’ve ticked that, whereas instead you have just had the form to apply for one.

It used to be that 15% of prescriptions were checked for fines so you might be lucky and not be picked up on any others. I have a huge hassle in my last pregnancy with getting the certificate and despite them being adamant they hadn’t ever received any of my forms, I eventually received five different certificates (all with different dates) so hopefully your certificate will belatedly turn up and void the fine.

but OP didn't know and it wasn't clear, so how about we have an outbreak of actual reality instead of just chanting on about "the rules" however daft the process is?

It is clear though. It's a shame OP didn't realise, but the vast majority of pregnant women manage the system fine.

The fine is based on your exemption card number. I got a fine because DH had registered me at the pharmacy with my maternity exemption and it ran out, whereas I still had a valid medical exemption card. I gave them the medical exemption number over the phone and she said it was fine but I should update it at the pharmacy too. The pharmacy updated it on their system, all fine and no more charges.

So, you need to firstly get hold of the maternity exemption card number. Call up, chase it down. Then take it to the pharmacy and make sure they update everything. Call back the people who issued the fine and give them the number, you then shouldn't be paying. I've no idea if any fines are still applicable, sorry, it does say on forms that you need to present the exemption card so you might be liable but the pharmacy should have asked you if they didn't have a number.

I got a couple of fines a few years ago as tax credits had inputted my income wrong and my exemption was removed and I didn’t realise. I tried to appeal but they weren’t having any of it. I was on a low income and could not afford to pay all the fines etc so I paid the prescription charge only and waited for them to come down on me like a tonne of bricks. I haven’t heard a thing.

www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/exemption-certificates/maternity-exemption-certificates

If you do need to pay for prescriptions while waiting for your certificate then you need to ask for a refund form when you pay (FP57)

Ok so after a some phone calls and lots of confusion from the surgery I have an update.

The Gp practice were lovely, they checked and could see I had completed a form with a midwife as it showed on their systems that I had been given the form. They then rang my midwife who popped into the surgery to see if we could resolve the issue.

My midwife was furious that the women on the phone told me I would be liable for any future fines and said this was inaccurate. She has completed another form for me and I have sent it off today. She also advised me to ring them and ask for the money to be refunded as soon as my certificate comes through.

I also went to speak to the pharmacy where I got most of my prescriptions during the pregnancy from to see why it had never been brought up. The pharmacist said it is not their policy to ask for the exemption certificate and instead it was my responsibility to ensure I had it. When I queried with him how I was meant to know I should have one when no one asked for it he again repeated it was my responsibility to ensure I had it and that he and his colleagues didn't have time to be constantly checking who had a certificate!

Pregnancy felt like a secret club that has all sorts of rules and processes you only find out by accident.

This is so true! I guess in some ways its good progress and I now know to chase the certificate if I have not received it in the next 2 weeks but I'm equally disappointed that the pharmacist also placed the blame on me. It seems like FTM's where I live are meant to be mind readers.

Glad you got it sorted OP

There's a bit of a clue in the term "gestational diabetes"

Unfortunately the medication prescribed for GD is the same as general diabetic medication (Metformin, Insulin) and it won't identify the 'type' of diabetes you have, ergo OP wouldn't be able to prove it was pregnancy related diabetes.