To think NHS are pathetic

[tangerinemagic]

Yes I said it. I received a threatening letter in the post with a PCN. Yes, a PCN from the NHS!

I am on maternity leave and cashed a prescription which I did not pay for in February and during a spot check they ascertained I did not have the correct certificate. I challenged them online, only to find my MatB1 certificate wasn’t enough. Apparently everyone is eligible for free prescriptions within 1 year, it’s not means tested at all, but we all need to individually apply for ‘MatEx’ cert apparently. Why?!

This is DC2 and during two pregnancies, births and mat leaves I’ve never heard of a certificate. Not during any of the countless pre natal and post natal midwife appointments, from the GP, pharmacist, HVs.

I emailed and explained I was completely unaware and have received an unnecessarily threatening response. If my application is successful apparently the certificate only goes back 30 days, so I still have to pay either the PCN or the £9.90 prescription. I can’t tell which one as they aren’t clear. I’m furious given NHS is apparently understaffed and at breaking point.

have they got nothing better to do than hassle sleep deprived mothers who have enough on their plate?

Have I been living under a rock or has anyone else not heard of this?

You didn't do the admin.
You didn't pay a thing for giving birth.
You didn't pay a thing for all medical treatment, hospital beds pre and post partum, you don't pay for use of the NHS if your children get ill or have an emergency.
But you're calling them pathetic because you don't want to pay a 10£ prescription?
I get that you're tired with having baby number 2. But there are many who do manage to do this and more.
You have every right to feel frustrated, but at the end of the day don't blame a service that is struggling and people just doing their jobs for your lack of awareness of your own situation.

Pointless bureaucracy.
I agree with you OP, an unnecessary exercise.

But you did "know" because you had an email about it with the previous pregnancy. You may have forgotten but that is on you. And you are not entitled to it unless you applied for the exemption, which you did not. You are being rather rude to people when this is down to something that you didn't check - you assumed. As others have pointed out, neither the pharmacist nor the finance teams have access to your medical records. Should everyone who walks into a pharamcy with a baby (that may not be theirs) simply be able to walk out with free medicines?

Happy to pay the prescription. Not the £100 fine. If I did all those things and it’s so important, why did no one flag it then? Why isn’t it just automated. You’re missing my point. Who does admin on something they don’t know exists.

Got an email which specifically said I am exempt and it had a number on it, like most emails do. I did not apply for this or do any admin for it. My key takeaway was I didn’t pay for prescriptions. Clearly round 2 I was going to look around for a form I didn’t do the first time. It’s inconsistent. Someone clearly applied for it on my behalf the first time. Not this time. I don’t remember it had a unique number to me.

I am also not asking the finance team or pharmacy to police it. I am saying it should be automated and if cannot be, at least it should be when it comes to spot check.

Person A cashed a prescription and did not pay. Records show they are on maternity leave. Saves them a letter, and postage.

I don’t know how any sane person cannot see if this is a reasonable and scalable way forward for our crumbling NHS.

Except some on MN. Any excuse to finger point

Just checked back and I had a maternity exemption card for prescriptions back in 2009, 2011 and 2014. It will just be online now like the pre-payment certificates are.

The website is pretty clear:

'It is the maternity exemption certificate that entitles you to free NHS prescriptions, not being pregnant or having given birth in the last 12 months. If you do not have a valid maternity exemption certificate, you may be liable for a penalty charge.'

Annoying, but not a new thing at all.

When you fill a free prescription you countersign it saying that you are entitled to the free precription. Before you sign it there is a tick box where you fill in the grounds for the exemption. It very clearly states "maternity exemption certificate" on the back. I know because I just checked. So you must have signed the form. Did you not read the form? Because that is on you. If you didn't sign the form then it is on the pharmacist for not getting you to sign.

But everyone isn't exempt. People from other countries who have "no recourse to public funds" don't get free prescriptions, in the same way that they aren't entitled to benefits.

If I read that I would assume it’s the MatB1 form.

Even the HV admin who called me back said it’s done via your employee and I said no, that’s the MatB1 form certificate. I have that. It’s a MatEx certificate and she hadn’t heard of it.

My midwife sorted mine automatically at my first appointment, I was given a physical paper certificate.

You are completely unreasonable to call the NHS pathetic. There are problems and it's not perfect, but by God, they try their hardest and we get so much out of it that we take for granted.
The NHS has just spent a small fortune trying to save my DH after a brain aneurysm to no avail. We had ambulances, paramedics, a helicopter, world class specialist surgeons, fabulous nurses and brilliant anaesthetists doing their utmost for two weeks to save him, to no avail. All at no extra cost than our everyday taxes.
@tangerinemagicyou're annoyed, it is annoying, but it's your error. You may be entitled to it, but there are others out there that would exploit it; that's why they follow these things up.

The problem with everyone automatically not having to pay if pregnant or up to a year post partum, is that the system will be abused and people claiming they are pregnant when not or that they have recently had a baby when they haven't.

The pharmacy should have asked you if you had a maternity exemption certificate, they shouldn't have just said you don't have to pay as pregnant/with newborn. Then at least you would have known about it but my midwife automatically applied for mine as part of my booking appointment so it looks like an issue with your area.

I don't think you should have to pay the PCN as it was a genuine error but calling the NHS pathetic is a bit extreme.

Yep mine was sorted automatically first time I’ve come to realise. Sent by email. But then why would I search around for a form the second time?

Well exactly, members of the NHS will almost definitely had triage and make life or death decisions. Beggars belief another part of the NHS is chasing sleep deprived mothers who have already emailed with their MatB1 form to say pay up you didn’t have anyone apply for a certificate on your behalf. The email actually says I cannot apply for it. Has to be GP, midwife or HV. I’m not going to bother a GP for this when they’re part of the NHS at breaking point. Hence why I’ve gone to HV. It’s just ridiculous and anyone who disagrees is not seeing the point. Just looking to point at me and say it’s your fault.

It's not as simple as "check they had a baby" as it's not just that that qualifies you.

People who have a stillbirth are still entitled to it. Anyone who has a miscarriage after their application for the exemption is still entitled to it. Anyone who has a TFMR after their application is still entitled.

To qualify for the maternity exemption you have to be pregnant when you apply for the certificate. Having a baby isn't the exemption

Hey op, imagine having a chronic illness that entitles you to free prescription for life. But you have to fill in a form every three year to confirm that yes, there has be no cure for type 1 diabetes yet and I still need insulin.

Well, I need to first remember the month, ask for the form. Fill it in and hand it to the receptionist and wait for someone to fill in their part in the gp and the gp receptionist then to send if off. It then gets proceed and I need wait for approval before I'm allowed any free prescription.

It is pointless bureaucracy and I have heard of people forgetting to apply for it in time and getting fined. I haven't personally been fined yet.

Outrageous. A reminder to reapply for something you are entitled to. In my case it was done automatically the first time by someone on my behalf, as others have said happened to them, their midwife took up the mantle. Second time no one did it; I’m charged with £100 fine for not realising. I’ve been told to contact the GP to apply on my behalf. What a monumental waste of time and resource in all circumstances! No midwife as I was discharged long ago and the HV admin team don’t have a clue what a MatEx form is, my HV is on visits and too busy to call back which I completely understand. She’s helping newborn babies!

@tangerinemagic useful information from Maternity Action about all of this:

https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice/free-nhs-prescriptions-and-nhs-dental-care-for-pregnant-women-and-new-mothers/

See the paragraph titled "I have been sent a penalty notice and have been asked to pay for my prescriptions, what can I do?"

I agree the NHS has mucked this one up - GP, HV or midwife dropped the ball and another department is chasing you for the failure of their own personnel to apply for something you are entitled to but cannot get yourself.

The self righteous chorus on here of how you should suffer and it’s all your fault is unpleasant.

I had a jolly old time with the NHS proving I was entitled to treatment after having paid 22 years of NI /taxes because the paperwork had not been done properly. Care was great but their administration is a long way from infallible.

The prescription exemptions are processed by NHS Business Authority. Not the NHS as you think of it. They are the people who process money related queries. They don’t have access to your medical records, they don’t know if you had a baby or not - they pick up a prescription that had ‘maternity exemption’ ticked on the back, and they checked against your details - you had no valid exemption certificate - that’s it. Anyone can tick anything on the prescription - the certificates are there to validate your status without administrative staff being intrusive.

I also as PP has said can’t understand how you weren’t aware of it. Every maternity notes book I’ve ever been given references it, all the pregnancy apps etc

I presume you weren't calling the NHS pathetic when you were accessing free healthcare (as is your rightO, just when they're calling you on an admin error?

You received antenatal care for free. You received the safe delivery of 2 children, also for free. You received postnatal care, for free. And now you are over here abusing the entire of the NHS because YOU didn’t do what you were supposed to. And they wander why staff are quitting the nhs in droves? I am sick and tired of being sworn at, spat on, screamed at and physically assaulted. I’m sick of being called useless by entitled idiots who have NO IDEA what we do every day. You are very welcome to not use our services and pay for private care from now on if you would prefer.

How on earth have you made this about you?

I had the same OP. No one told me the difference either, assumed it was the mat1b certificate. The pharmacist had even preticked the box for me. I would have happily paid for the prescription too.

My midwife was really rubbish with admin, it took absolutely ages to even get the mat1b certificate.

Because this entitled fuckwit attitude of “the entire NHS is bullshit” because OP can’t fill out a form properly is absolutely pervasive. People are on the receiving end of this bollocks every day working in the nhs.