GP refusing to give private prescription

[overun]

My husband visited the GP today and was prescribed 2 items. He explained how he was no longer allowed to give a private prescription as it was seen as defrauding the NHS! My husband pays a ridiculous amount of tax so why should he be penalised again? Anyone else had this happen?

I don't get free dental , I'm medically exempt for all my routine prescriptions .

Yeah same floral

It seems a bit entitled to not want to pay an occasional NHS prescription charge just because you're paying lots of tax.

The NHS is a system where we pay a fixed rate (tax, NHS charges etc.) to receive a pretty decent service without worrying what we might have to pay when we really need it. Some people will need more use of it, some less. Some people will take advantage of it too. But it's a whole lot better than the 'pay-as-you-go' system in use in other countries e.g. the US, where being ill can be cripplingly expensive.

Fascinated to know what medication costs 12p.

So if you or your dh were ill, and struggling with everything that comes with an illness for example sick time from work, you'd take potentially a very expensive life saving treatment for the NHS price of less than a tenner happy, presumably that some cheaper drugs people pay more for to subsidise this.
But you are twisting because on this occasion you are paying more.
I'm glad not everyone thinks like this.
The Gp should never have offered a private prescription in the first place.
Even if I had accepted a cheaper private prescription in the past, just as something that was offered to me, without really thinking about the bigger picture, no way would I have the audacity to moan about paying the NHS price for it now.

Have you seen the news recently op? Crisis in the NHS, people can't have the treatment they need in a timely manner. Post code lotteries. Families fund raising as the NHS can't fund their loved ones life prolonging cancer treatment. But I suppose it's nothing really to the tragedy of your dh NHS prescription costs

“One of the items my husband has been prescribed costs 12p via a private prescription.”

And what about all the other drugs he’s had in his lifetime or will have in the future, which cost way over 8.40(or whatever it is). Not to mention the Drs time.

Indeed the nhs is in its knees and the op is complaining about a few pounds.

Polly I think the dispensing fee is discretionary so different pharmacies choose to charge different amounts and some choose to waive it on expensive items but, you are right, I may be out of date

I still find it hard to believe anyone would do a private prescription for 12p though!

Seems fair to me. If he is using NHS services he should pay for it. Most people don't pay enough tax to cover the cost of what they take from the state so unless you husband is in a higher tax band and only uses the NHS for GPs and pays for everything else like school fees and specialist appointments then your tax argument is null.

This is a very one-sided debate.

Until not long ago, many kind GPs would OFFER a private prescription if the drug was cheaper than the NHS charge. It was only recently it was changed. I am sure they have a far better idea of the costs to the NHS than posters here!

You're forgetting about the 20 per cent of people who pay for 80 per cent of prescriptions for the rest of the population, many of whom can jolly well afford to pay!

SOME of the cost of a prescription goes to the privately run pharmacy so the owner is making a profit. It doesn't all go to the NHS. Pharmacies claim for each prescription.

You could argue about this forever, but the point is that leaving more money in the pocket of a patient but allowing them to pay less, will mean that money they have will be spent on something, which is likely to have VAT on it, or another form of tax, and will find its way back to the chancellor and then the NHS some way.

The amount of waste in the NHS is huge. Can't see I've noticed anyone here outraged by the waste of ££££££s because GPs are prescribing paracetamol and other OTC medicines, to patients who are not paying anything for their prescription, costing the NHS a huge amount, rather than telling patients to buy their own.

billy
so well put.

an't see I've noticed anyone here outraged by the waste of ££££££s because GPs are prescribing paracetamol and other OTC medicines, to patients who are not paying anything for their prescription, costing the NHS a huge amount, rather than telling patients to buy their own.

You keep moving the goalposts

I am answering the OP

But yes...once again I am indeed outraged about some GPs prescribing paracetamol when its 36p at asda

Anything else youve not noticed that you would like me to comment on

And just to clarify

I am not unhappy with the Ops partner getting cheap prescription

I just think he is unreasonable to be complaining about it because he pays too much tax

Complaining because he is one of only 20% of people paying for it? fair enough? But not because he pays too much tax that just makes him sound a bit ... oooh i dont know, the great i am?

My DH has private insurance through his job.
Actually feel guilty to admit to using it-but sometimes its the right thing on balance.
for example-DD had tonsillitisseemingly endless but not quite enough to qualify to get them out on NHS. I actually thought fair enough-
but she was either sickening, very ill with it or going back to school too soon because she missed her attendance targets.
So we did it privately. which meant we paid for the drugs etc.
And would never imagined that we would do that private and not pay...
My GP knew we had private insurance and he bloody well made sure we used it.
Fair enough.
You can't have it both ways. I have never heard of that practice but am

mumsie

Ds1 got his medication from a private hospital following a minor op

The ibuprofen was about £8!!!!!

We got billed for it later

rufus
I think a bit of the problem is that the two systems don't organise themselves properly.
no clarity about what's private and what's NHS.
Sometimes you cam't tell.
Why wouldn't you just think "ok, that's sorted"
very tricky...

In this area private prescriptions are purely only available for items not available on the NHS.

Prescription only medication available on the NHS can only be prescribed on an NHS prescription (unless by a private doctor).

I actually think that if someone started a thread saying ‘ I’m medically exempt from prescription charges but my GP won’t prescribe paracetamol ‘ that the majority of the responses would be saying go buy it yourself . Everybody who has any sense knows that the NHS is pushed to the limit and shouldn’t be abused .

mumsie

In the few instances were we have gone private it has been very obvious which is which

I appreciate that there must be situations which arent clear cut

Imagine if everyone did that. And if everyone tried to get calpol on free children’s prescriptions (another thing that often is totally misunderstood). How do you propose the NHS would fund the drugs that cost more than the prescription charge?

Of course there can be an interlink between the NHS and private . In my case I had been referred 3x in 2 weeks for an urgent NHS appt , no appt was forthcoming so we paid to see the consultant that we were waiting for on the NHS at the local private hospital . My GP has been more than happy to prescribe the drugs needed , we paid for the blood tests needed , 2 consultations and I now have a treatment plan , a diagnosis and an NHS appt for follow up in 4 weeks . If I hadn’t paid and had waited I would have ended up back in hospital . We are just fortunate that we could afford to pay .

It's hard Floral to draw that line at times. It sounds like a eminently sensible compromise in your situation though
I think the current guidance says the GP can prescribe on the NHS only if they referred the patient to the private consultant and the item requested is what could reasonably have been issued if they had been seen on the NHS. This is to block issues like patients having private treatment they would not normally get, like IVF or cosmetic surgery and asking for meds on NHS prescription or for situations where consultants who are seen privately then prescribe a medication either not recommended by the NHS or dearer with no obvious advantages

You can't have it both ways. You want a private prescription, go pay for a private GP (and I imagine the overall cost will be much higher!).
If you use the NHS, it's a bit rich to turn around and demand a private prescription because you don't want to pay a slightly higher fee.

Absolutely agree , but the disease we thought I had , which I have got a diagnosis for now , should have been an NHS emergency as it’s seriously life threatening and I think my GP , who is excellent , was a bit cross that despite his best efforts he couldn’t get a quicker appt on the NHS . We did actually pay for the first week of the first drugs as the private consultation was on a Friday evening and the tablets needed to be started straight away .

Sounds like you want the best of both worlds. My medication costs penny's to buy online but I'd need a private prescription costing £££ to be able to buy them. You can't have it both ways OP - you can't expect a GP paid by the NHS/taxpayers to give you a prescription for free so that you can buy cheap drugs.