Maternity Exemption Certifificate Help!

[peckarollover]

I had DS September 2003.

Commenced some dental treatment before you turned 1 which has recently finished.

It was covered by NHS because of having a baby under 1.

They have just called saying they need the maternity exemption certificate or I will have to pay!

Needless to say i dont still have the certificate - does anyone know if I will be able to get a copy of it? And how?

Thanks

Woudn't they accept your DS birth certificate instead ? ie proof he was under 1 when you had the treatment ?

They didnt suggest that as an alternative when I said i may not have it.

Maybe they need something from the certificate to claim money back or something?

Think if you do have to pay, you can claim it back later. Ask at your GP's.

The certificates are issued by your local health authority. Try ringing them first, see what they can suggest.

That is ridiculous and outrageous! I would show them the birth certificate as Whizzz says. Tough if they dont like it, refuse to pay! They should have checked the details much earlier!

It will be such a whopping bill

I needed extensive work, a bridge and gazillion fillings!

Just looked at my card - there is no phone number, but the address is: PO Box 854, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE99 2DE.

I only had to show my card at the dentists the first time I used it - as I hadn't got a bump. They made a note of the number so I have never had to show it again. HTH

I think it is a national scheme, not a local NHS scheme.

Same as hotmama. But I did have to hand the application form in at GP's who then send it off to Newcastle. It comes back a few weeks later - like a credit card. Have you had one already and lost it?

When I had mine, 5 years ago, it was a piece of thin card which came from the local health authority - I know it's a national scheme, but at that time the GP had to send the form to the local authority who issued it. It sounds as if the admin of it has changed since then - might be worth ringing the GP to find out who the right people to speak to would be.

Ive never had one like a credit card, it was a thin card when I had it.

Wonder if the cards have come in since then. This was Sep 03

The contact number on the letter which came with my exemption card is 0845 601 8076 (which is the prescription pricing authority). HTH