Can anyone help with these query over prescriptions.

[Smithy01]

My DS is 18 (not 19 until summer) and is on a full time uni course. The NHS eligibility checker states under 19 and in full time education ie. sixth form, college or uni, then entitled to free prescriptions. My pharmacy has charged me and said it’s wrong if in uni you pay. Can anybody with knowledge clarify this please?

Uni students pay unless parents are on very low income, the I think you can apply for an exemption of some sort.

They are wrong. It doesnt specify where the full time education should be. Are they getting confused with child benefit rules which do exclude Uni education?

You’re entitled to free NHS prescriptions if you’re:

Under 16
Aged 16-18 and in full time education
Aged 60 or over

If your date of birth is printed electronically on your prescription, you don’t need to provide proof of your age when claiming free prescriptions. If you’re 16, 17 or 18, you may need to show proof that you’re in full time education.

If they are 16-18 then they dont pay. Once they reach age 19 then they would pay whether at college or Uni or anywhere else

Agree they are wring. Ds got prescription free before turning 19 but not afterwards.

I actually contact the pharmacy and pointed out they were wrong to which they said “when my daughter was at uni she had to pay because it was means tested and we didn’t qualify” I’m not sure when this was but I pointed out the checker doesn’t take into account parents earnings currently. They then said well my daughter was on a full time uni course and only had lectures 3 days so that’s not full time. (I didn’t realise pharmacists over ruled what is and isn’t classed has full time education) I’m quite flabbergasted at how this can happen and a pharmacy can make these decisions and charge students for something that’s free.

students don't automatically get free prescriptions but can get an exemption certificate by completing form HC1 every year.

the form is an enormous faff to complete and tbh if you are generally healthy it's not worth it - if you typically only need prescriptions maybe twice a year you are effectively working for less than minimum wage going through all the admin for the sake of saving £18.

however if you need prescriptions regularly and don't have a well-paid holiday/weekend/ evening job making you look wealthy, then it it's definitely worth it.

Students

If you're a student, you need to include evidence of all grants, bursaries and awards you receive. Normally this will consist of an award notice showing how much money you get.

If you applied for a student loan, we need to see a copy of the financial assessment that was carried out, regardless of whether a loan was actually awarded.

The full amount of student loan available to you will be included as income in your assessment. This includes the income-assessed and the non-income assessed loan elements, regardless of whether an application was made for both elements, and any assessed contributions to the loan regardless of whether they are actually paid.

from low income scheme website. Unlike student loans, parental income is not taken into account.

You only heed to apply for the certificate after 19th bday. 18 or under in ft education is free.

Did they agree to refund what they had charged? Up until they reach age 19 it's not means tested

I did say it wasn’t worth me travelling back for the refund (not that they actually said I could definitely have one) but I didn’t want them to charge students when they should not be paying. I think it fell on deaf ears even after I pointed them to the official NHS eligibility tester. It isn’t my local pharmacy and I will not be going back there but seems so unfair when some students don’t have that kind of spare money and they really shouldn’t be paying at 18.