Prescription Penalty Notice.....

[Razorback]

Hello, am new here and it seems a helpful forum. I am hoping you can help me.

 

I have tried to search the forum, but cannot find a previous topic like mine.

 

Basically, I have today received an NHS Penalty notice through the post relating to a prescription item from my doctor.

 

To cut a long story short, I get one item every month from my doctor, on repeat prescription. I am exempted from paying for this item and have been so for a lot of years.

However, after going to the doctors last month, she added another (new) item for something else to my monthly repeat prescription.

 

So, when I went to collect it from Boots, I explained I had to pay for the new item added onto my prescription and then signed the back for the normal (exempted) item. All I got was a till receipt for the paid for item, which I later binned and thought nothing more about it.

 

However today, I have received a penalty charge notice relating to this new item (which I did pay for).

 

How do I go about disputing this penalty notice, as I no longer have the receipt.  

 

Many thanks.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Razorback

[AndyOrch]

Hi and Welcome to CAG

 

We have had plenty......

 

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=partner-pub-8889411648654839:3134625398&q= NHS prescription Penalty notice&oq= NHS prescription Penalty notice&gs_l=partner-generic.12...21829.21829.0.23238.1.1.0.0.0.0.219.219.2-1.1.0.gsnos%2Cn%3D13...0.0...2.34.partner-generic..1.0.0.VsD7cRw8TLg

 

Andy

[Razorback]

Thanks Andy,

 

I did read through a lot of them before I posted. Most, if not all seem to be about people having claimed an exemption when the NHS believe the prescription should have been paid for.

 

Mine is a bit the other way around.

 

I paid for one item on the prescription (and claimed exemption for the other item on the prescription). It is the paid one that they are saying I didn't pay for (when I did). I don’t have an FP?? receipt that they are saying I should have asked for.

 

However that FP?? receipt only seems to be for claiming back the cost of items paid for when an exemption should have applied. I paid for the one item, because I have to pay for it – there is no exemption for this item.

 

In the absence of a receipt, would a bank statement showing a debit card transaction at Boots on the day in question suffice? The trouble is I also bought something else over the counter, so the debit card amount is for £14.10? I suppose the NHS could say it proves I spent £14.10 in Boots that day but doesn’t prove it was for the Prescription item!

 

The trouble is also since this incident, I received another repeat prescription, again with one exempt item and one ‘to pay for item’ which I collected last week. Again, I paid for one of the items and signed the back for the other item (although it did cause some confusion in Boots this time, but they let me do it). Fortunately I kept the till receipt this time, but no doubt will receive another penalty notice about this one.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Edited June 19, 2019 by Razorback
paragraphing

[AndyOrch]

How are you exempt for one item but not the other on the same prescription ?

[Razorback]

2 hours ago, Andyorch said:

How are you exempt for one item but not the other on the same prescription ?

 

Hello,

 

My exemption certificate only covers me for prescriptions for my accepted disability (War Pension Exemption).

 

Thus, any prescriptions for any other conditions I have to pay for.

 

The newly prescribed medication isn't connected to my War Pension disability, hence I paid for it.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[Razorback]

Just to add further after speaking with Boots just now.

 

Apparently, my type of exemption is the only one that doesn’t apply ‘across the board’ for all prescribed medication.

 

The problem, it seems, is that it the actual NHS prescription form is not ‘set up’ to deal with this. It expects people to be either ‘totally exempt’ or ‘not exempt’.

 

Thus, when I legitimately signed the back of the form for my one exempt item (and paid for the other), the NHS treat my prescription as being ‘totally exempt’ and thus subject to their checking. Hence it has been picked up by them.

 

The pharmacist at Boots did say that the lady who served me shouldn’t have allowed me to both sign and pay for items on the same script. So, they are in error in permitting me to do it!

 

Surely, I cannot be at fault here, if the form doesn’t cater for my circumstances? At the end of the day, I paid for what I should have paid for (and was correctly exempted for the war pensionable item).

 

Hence the NHS is not ‘out of pocket’ in any way.  So why should I have to pay a penalty charge?

Edited June 19, 2019 by Razorback

[Manxman in exile]

Can't help with your existing problem re penalties - sorry.

 

To stop this happening again you need to ask your GP always to do two prescriptions for you - one for the exempt medication and a second one for the other.  Make sure they understand why you need to have it done this way.  (And check they've done it when you collect the prescription).

[honeybee13]

Razor, I don't suppose you have a Boots loyalty card that would show you paying for the contested item?

 

HB

[Bazooka Boo]

If you're worried about their "penalty" charge, don't be, I had two in the space of three months due to incorrect advice from the pharmacist,  I went on line and paid for the script and ignored their £100 charge, or whatever amount it was they were trying to fleece off me.

 

Short of a couple of letters increasing the charge for not paying them within their arbitrary time limits I've not heard a peep out of them.

[Razorback]

20 hours ago, Manxman in exile said:

Can't help with your existing problem re penalties - sorry.

 

To stop this happening again you need to ask your GP always to do two prescriptions for you - one for the exempt medication and a second one for the other.  Make sure they understand why you need to have it done this way.  (And check they've done it when you collect the prescription).

 

 

The trouble is I don't see the actual prescription form until I collect the medication in Boots as it is sent to them electronically.

 

I will ask at the doctors if they can send the two items on seperate scripts though.

 

Many thanks.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Razorback

[Razorback]

19 hours ago, honeybee13 said:

Razor, I don't suppose you have a Boots loyalty card that would show you paying for the contested item?

 

HB

 

Hi,

 

Yes I have the Boots loyalty card, but it cannot be used for precriptions, hence it won't show on there, but thanks anyway.

[honeybee13]

That's a shame.

 

HB

[Manxman in exile]

1 hour ago, Razorback said:

 

 

The trouble is I don't see the actual prescription form until I collect the medication in Boots as it is sent to them electronically.

 

I will ask at the doctors if they can send the two items on seperate scripts though.

 

Many thanks.

 

Ha!  I had the opposite problem with electronic prescriptions.  I made one request for a repeat with three different meds, and the GP sent three separate prescriptions to the pharmacy, which arrived at different times.  I ended up making three separate journeys to the pharmacy.  I then reverted to collecting the prescriptions myself.  (I live within five minutes walk of both my GP surgery and the pharmacy).

 

Ask the doctors to use separate prescriptions and explain why you need that.  Make sure it's recorded on your notes so whichever doctor deals with your repeats will know what's required.

 

Personally I would not ignore a penalty notice - I'd try to get it sorted out as you are doing.  You might just get away with explaining it as you have done here - ie the surgery mistakenly put two meds (one exempt, one not) on the same prescription and the prescription form doesn't provide for this situation.  Say you paid for the non-exempt one.