Penalty charge from NHS prescriptions

[narkedoff]

I wonder if anyone has any advice on this please!

I've received a penalty charge notice from the NHS saying I claimed a free prescription between end of March and beginning of May. As I am not entitled to free prescriptions I am being fined the £9 cost of prescription and £45 penalty charge.

But I didn't! I pay, and have always paid the fee for prescriptions! Apart from one pregnancy many years ago I have never been entitled to free prescriptions so have never tried to claim so!

There seems to be no recourse on this. It's pay the fine or challenge if you actually are entitled-but what proof can I have to challenge! I'm scouring bank account to see any £9 boots pharmacy debits but I sometimes paid cash and I also collect and pay my husbands prescriptions at around the same time or a week later than my own.

It might as well be a £5 fine because it's really not the money I absolutely refuse to accept the blame!

I got one once because my address had changed and they didn’t recognise my prepayment certificate.

It’s pretty easy to contest them. Can you put the onus on them to prove you didn’t pay?

You must always fill in the back of the prescription correctly , sign it and enter the amount paid .

Yes but they still sometimes send penalty charges in error.

They cancelled mine quickly.

Challenge them to prove that you didn't pay. Also they should provide you with the basis on which they have made this allegation anyway

The burden of proof is in them, not you to prove your innocence.

If it's not an administrative error (you can ask them to check this), they'll have discharged the burden of proof by an incorrectly completely declaration. Did you definitely complete it fully?

If you cannot find proof, then contact the Boots store to see if they can check their records.

Also could you have purchased something else at the same time? If so, if you have an Advantage Card there will be a record of the transaction.

You can challenge it online. But you may have mistakenly ticked the wrong box

I had 3 if these last year all were incorrect and I had paid every time. Does the chemist order you repeat for you?

Mine were all from a local chemist who order my repeat and because they order it early they had actually filed the exemption claim before I had even collected the prescription!

I believe it’s your first time you can write a letter confirming you paid and they cancel it. Mine was due to the chemist still holding my maternity exemption from 5 years ago and because they were sending the exemption off early it was all electrionic so didn’t have the bit you complete when you collect.

I would also check with boots that they are not holding your maternity exemption still on their systems.

I didn't think the pharmacy would have records, I thought they would all be sent off.

None of my personal details have changed but I realised in the time frame they said this event happened is exactly the time frame boots said they could no longer order my repeat prescriptions for me (or anyone, something about emails not being accepted at surgery) and I went back to ordering online myself.

I never tick anything on the back. It's always I hold my card up and say I pay (or the staff know me and know I do) and they tick a box on the paper and put an x where I sign and I do that and hand it back.

I've made a pdf of all the £9 boots charges which are prescriptions (I always buy anything else from the store at the main cash desk, as it's a large store) and I intend to present myself at the pharmacy tomorrow to see what's up.

I don't understand that the burden of proof is on them to show I didn't pay. They say I claimed it was free so is it possible the dispensing assistant or pharmacist ticked the wrong box and I paid as usual but it's been processed as a free one?

My husband thinks it's hilarious that I'm "getting done" for nicking drugs. Worst case it's a small fine and I'll be aggrieved forever

I appreciate you all responding to my thread at all showing it's probably a mistake and not the end of the world as I was seeing it

I was all "how very dare you!"

My DH had one of these last year but he had paid by card so I just hunted out the card statement and sent it to them. They wrote back apologising and said it had been an error. It did make me wonder what would have happened if he'd paid cash though.