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.

Definitely fight it

My mum got one recently for a prescription she paid for but the pharmacist didn’t tick a box, impossible to prove she had in fact paid as she couldn’t find the receipt! She has managed to fight it though, they must be on a mission at the moment!

You were pregnant, you have solid evidence of that so you should automatically get free prescriptions purely for that. You weren’t playing the system, you didn’t lie about being pregnant for heavens sake.

Surely op would vmbe medically exemot if diabetic anyway or does this no longer apply.
Op I think the fine is ridiculous. I received one once re prepayment certificates. In fact it was an admin error and they didn't even apologise.
Hope yo get it sorted.

Ah shit. I didn't realise that if you didnt have the form it was fraud. I've had a few prescriptions and dentist! Can I retrospectively pay to avoid fines,?

Surely op would be medically exempt if diabetic anyway or does this no longer apply.

I don't think it would count as I signed the form by ticking the pregnancy exemption box. I don't know if there is a box for just diabetes but I don't think it would make a difference as that's not the criteria I was claiming under.

Howdidido sorry I hope I have no panicked you, hopefully your maternity exemption form comes through soon and they don't fine you, I'm not sure there is a way to retrospectively. I think you just have to wait to see if a fine comes through.

My midwife forgot to send off my maternity exemption certificate form, so I was ticking the box for prescriptions thinking I had one when I didn’t. I’ve now got one, and they’ve waived the £90 charge but I still have to pay the £18 fine even though I’ve proved I was pregnant at the time,

I told the dentist I didn't have a card but she said it was obvious I was pregnant so didnt charge me

I told the dentist I didn't have a card but she said it was obvious I was pregnant so didnt charge me

This is what has happened both times I've been to the dentist since being pregnant (both of which were after the first form was sent off). I'm not sure if Dentists can issue fines retrospectively like they have done for the prescription as technically it is the same situation as I am not covered by an exemption certificate.

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

But her medical records would prove it.

I didn't realise that if you didn't have the form it was fraud It isn't fraud. You need intention for fraud, it's not a strict liability offence.

I still have to pay the £18 fine even though I’ve proved I was pregnant at the time,

It looks like most people do have to pay the fine but the actual prescription charge will be wiped.

Sadly dentists do fine too, although you'd probably be pretty unlucky to get fined from everywhere, I think only 15 odd percent of prescriptions and dental forms are checked.

It looks like most people do have to pay the fine but the actual prescription charge will be wiped.

The £18 I paid was for the prescribed medication (2 items charged at £9 each) the £90 I mentioned was the penalty charge making a total fine of £108. She fortunately waived this charge but I would hazard a guess that any other fines I may receive will be for similar amounts.

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

it would take them less than 10 seconds to say "can we check you have the certificate as being pregnant isn't enough on its own".

A few months ago when I picked up a prescription for my son they asked me if he was still in full time education, which he is, so it was free. Completely painless for them to ask.

I just wanted to stop and say thank you for all the comments and advice given so far. It is reassuring to know others have found the system confusing and that I am not alone in making the mistake of claiming without the paper certificate.

I'm sorry to hear others have received similar fines. I appreciate they need to check as some people do play the system and claim when they are not entitled to. However it really is disheartening to see that they still make people pay even when they have evidence that the patient was entitled to a free prescription at the time. The paperwork may not have been in order but it was blooming obvious I was pregnant and I would have hardly been collecting the prescribed items for the fun of it.

I really think it’s unfair and going after pregnant women that don’t have the certificate but should really be eligible is bloody stupid. I don’t think it’s a good use of admin resource and it is taking things to the extreme. There are many other areas of waste that should be tackled but I don’t believe this can be worth it.

My midwife didn’t mention anything at my last booking in appointment but I knew to chase it up as I was a second time mum.

it would take them less than 10 seconds to say "can we check you have the certificate as being pregnant isn't enough on its own".

I think this is the point that frustrates me most as if at any point someone had asked for the certificate I would have discovered I should have a physical piece of evidence and I would have been able to resolve the issue.

The fact no one asked throughout my entire pregnancy even though some weeks I was collecting 2/3 prescriptions (and they were not always from the same pharmacy) means I'm now left wondering how many more times my prescription will be amongst the 10-15% sent each time to be checked.

I find it baffling they see it as my fault when at no time in 9 months of pregnancy and the month after having my DS has anyone ever mentioned having a certificate to show them. I honestly don't understand how I was meant to know I should have had it?

This happened to me. I called and they said I needed to provide proof of having my DD at this point she was still unregistered. Then she started crying and the lady on the phone said oh well that's clearly a newborn cry so cancelled the fee and fine and told me to call back if I received any more and they would also be waived. Maybe call back and speak to someone else? X

There are many other areas of waste that should be tackled but I don’t believe this can be worth it

I suspect its quite an easy target to be honest and that's why they do it. I had an incredibly stressful pregnancy and had I received a fine whilst pregnant I would have paid it as I had enough to worry about. Likewise today when trying to resolve the issue my DS was crying which is why I agreed to pay the £18 prescription charge as I just wanted to get off the phone and settle my little boy. I doubt I'm the only one who has paid in such circumstances.

Hi
I have just received one of these in the post today!!
I was raging until i found the unsent FW8 form in a pile of paper work 😭🤯
My prescriptions are for anti-emetics as I suffer severe HG. It's been DH who has picked up every prescription from the hospital pharmacy and not once has he been asked for certificate.

Anyway. Coming on to ask - the letter has said I have to pay the prescription charge but they will waiver the fine if I send off my FW8 form. I went to pay the prescription charge online but the option is to pay the whole of it, prescription + fine. Do I just send the FW8 form off then check again to see if the fine has been waived and the prescription fee is left to pay?

I understand where I am in the wrong, but why make the system so bloody difficult!

You can appeal the fines and a big chunk get overturned. I can't link to it but have a google.

How stressful for you, that’s rubbish.

FWIW, I got mine through the post but then whenever I tried to present it the pharmacist waved me off, telling me they had an electronic record of it and they didn’t need to see it. It may differ by boroughs.

Totally agree pregnancy is like a secret club you don’t know the rules to. I’m changing hospitals atm from moving house and it’s such a bloody faff, they won’t accept ANYTHING done by the previous hospital so it’s basically been a 90% total waste of time up until this point

I'm surprised to hear about so many places with a lax approach to this. I have to take my exemption letter with me all the time, as every pharmacy round here takes the number from it to write on the prescription!

yellow25 When I rang earlier the women put me through to an automated system which stated the whole charge and then asked me to press * or hash to submit a varied amount. I then had to type in £18.00 and then it proceeded to ask for my car details. So I would try calling them if I were you.

I have to take my exemption letter with me all the time, as every pharmacy round here takes the number from it to write on the prescription!

Your Pharmacies sound very efficient. Not one single pharmacy has asked me and throughout the entire pregnancy and since having my DS. Apparently all the pharmacies around here are all pretty lax and cannot be bothered to follow correct procedures.

Sounds rediculous

I’ve had dental work before receiving my form back in November

Maybe I’m sure a fine or two too

My midwife put the forms through for it in September!

But what makes me angry is the system has decided that for medical/social-economic reasons pregnant woman should be exempt. It makes me really cross that people like the OP are being targeted with punitive fines because of a technicality (especially when they system in previous years hasn’t really been that lenient about checking etc). I can’t imagine there are many people that think this is a morally just thing to do especially if fines are being racked up every week. Please do write to your MP. You’d be amazed how much difference a political voice can make in these sorts of cases.

Something similar happened to.me where I thought I had done all the paperwork but I hadn't and so got a fine but as I could prove o was pregnant and entitled to the free prescriptions they would waive it. All fine in the end. Also the women I spoke to was so helpful! Maybe call back and speak to someone else.