To be charged for meds which were free last month?

[Elouera]

I'm so very grateful to be allowed 1 round of NHS IVF after 8yrs TTC and 2 losses. Specialist last month advised 5mg of folic acid, got script filled at the hospital and it was free.

This month, had another script for folic acid, along with the contraceptive pill which they have started me on for 1mth prior to starting IVF. The same hospital pharmacy charged me for both this time. I queried it, but they said the pill is only free if its for contraception, not from the assisted conception unit, and they couldn't explain why the folic acid was free last month. I realise its only £18, but feel a bit annoyed and wondering what else I will pay out for?

Take the prescription to another pharmacy. The pill will be free and most likely there will be an over the counter folic acid which will be cheaper?

However £18 isnt massive and clearly this is important.....

If it's a hospital pharmacy prescription it probably can't be taken to a different pharmacy. It's certainly like that in my area.

Buy folic acid from Tesco or Holland and Barret it Boots for about 50p!

Don't do what someone else said and get over the counter folic acid. The dose the NHS prescribes is around 10x the dose you get in normal vitamins.

5mg folic acid is stronger than the normal dose and is prescription only. They’re right about the pill too. You’re going to have a few more prescriptions for the ivf, might be worth looking into a 3 month prepayment certificate.

Is the IVF clinic a private clinic? Even if the NHS is funding it, a prescription from a “private” doctor will be charged at its cost. Often private hospitals will
Tell you what you need and ask you to get it prescribed by GP so it is just the prescription charge.

The pill is only free as contraception.

Someone who had a hysterectomy also took the pill for other reasons and had to pay.

Don’t lie it fraud.

Are you sure they were supposed to be free last time? A friend of mine got fined for ‘accidentally’ getting her prescription for free when she should have paid.

I took the pill for reasons other than contraception and had to pay.

I don't mean to sound harsh but lots of people dont even get one round of IVF covered in some areas. The NHS won't fund any fertility treatment where I live. If you are not prepared or can't afford to pay the £18 per month prescription charges then can you afford to have a baby?

Thanks for everyone's perspectives. Yes, we can afford the scripts, just confused why it was free last month? 5mg folic acid is only available on script, not over the counter for those saying just buy for 50p! Last month was the 1st time I've had a script for it, so no idea if they didn't charge by accident? I certainly didn't say to the chemist that I get free scripts or tick anything to say I should get it free. I assumed it was free as part of the NHS IVF cycle I'm having?

I was seen by an NHS Dr in an NHS hospital, nothing private about it. And as said, I do feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, as I know some areas offer no IVF on NHS at all.

I don’t think it should have been free. Free prescriptions do get checked and people fined if they were not eligible. It might be worth doing something about it before that happens.

I don't think 5mg folic is actually prescription only, it's more that pharmacies don't stock it..

I buy 5mg folic acid from Amazon. 100 caps for about £15 so works out quite a bit cheaper than prescription cost. That's 3 months supply. Biotech brand is excellent.

OP even though your ivf treatment is free on the nhs, you’ll still need to pay the nhs prescription charge for all your medication. Trust me, £9 an item is a bargain for ivf drugs, my private cycle was over £1000 for the drugs!

Yes YABU. You're being given IVF for free. And you got the meds for free last time when you ought to have paid for them.

Sounds like they got it wrong last time.

The OP isn't really getting IVF for free - presumably she and her partner have paid tax. It's terrible that other people don't get it when they too have paid into the system, but I think we should steer away from thinking of NHS treatment as free

The mistake was that you got it free last time.
This has really got to you though. And it's a small thing. Use it as a barometer about how stressed/emotional you are. You really, really need to be kind to yourself. You've had a tough time.
Take it as a wake up call to make sure you're doing stuff to pamper you and relax. Far easier said than done I know from experience. Acupuncture? Massage? Yoga? Flower arranging?

It sounds like you queried the pill and they explained, folic acid not sure why it was free last month, possibly an error on their part if you queried it this time and they weren't sure. Do you have any other prescription items? As said, a pre payment might be useful if so, but probably not just for 2 things.

I think we should steer away from thinking of NHS treatment as free

When people say the NHS is free, they mean free at the point of treatment. You don't have to pay your GP practise in order to get an appointment, or pay a bill to attend A&E, or pay for an ambulance, or pay to give birth.

They don't mean nobody pays anything for it ever!

Just because your IVF is on the NHS doesn't mean you won't have to pay prescription charges.

You are only excluded from paying prescription charges if you suffer from certain specific conditions or if you fulfil other criteria e.g. means tested, age etc.

Otherwise, even if you are receiving NHS treatment you have to pay towards prescriptions.

@adaline A lot of people do view it as free though, even logically knowing it is paid for via taxes etc, there is an element by some that they can use and have they like at no cost.