GP Private prescriptio Charges

[Rossi111]

Hi

 

I have a private prescription for 'the little blue pill' which I pay the chemist £35. In the last month, my GP has started charging £13 on top of this for signing the repeat prescription charge. This seem outlandish and on a par with the bank charges. Is there any way I could claim these back as unfair charges ?

I cannot afford to keep paying £50 for 4 tablets.

Any help would be welcome

[welshcakes]

erm, why don't you buy for much less from a certified internet source? Will be more like £15 per month (plus postage). On a med note, long term or persistent use should be avoided even where your doctor is satisfied that it is the best alternative - but I presume since you have gone through your gp (albeit privately) that they have made you aware of the side effects

[poppynurse]

or why not ask GP for them on the NHS?

[poppynurse]

or why not ask GP for them on the NHS?

[Rossi111]

Thanks for the replies. will investigate. I was wondering whether I could claim back the charges made by the GP in the same way I claimed back the bank charges ??

[Advoc8]

The GP is charging for the service of signing a private prescription, they're entitled to do that and it's not a penalty charge, so the principles for bank charges don't apply.

 

The British Medical Association does give some recommended charges but I've not read through them, also I don't think GP's are bound by them. If it's a regular repeat try negotiating a lower price with the GP.

[WatchfulEye]

Hi,

 

I was under the impression (from reading articles on the BMA website) that GPs could not charge patients registered with their practice for Private Prescriptions; i.e. they could only charge patients not registered with them. Has this recently changed?

 

Cheers,

WE

[Advoc8]

Interesting, I think I've found the regulations you refer to. Perhaps there's some other reason - maybe it's an administrator making the charge thinking it's for a private prescription for overseas use, or perhaps something has changed in the regulations?

[mazzab]

Drugs for erectile dysfunction are only available on the NHS if you have an underlying medical condition that is on a particular list (diabetes, etc). Your GP is essentially charging for the time it takes him to review and issue the prescription, as well as the cost of putting the systems in place to do that, and a bit of profit (Each practice is a business so anything that doesn't bring money in actually costs the practice money - should your GP pay for the privilege of your erection?). You don't have to get the prescription from your GP, so shop around. Is £50 a month good value for four pleasant evenings? It seems lower than the cost of most dates!

 

GPs can't charge their NHS patients for private consultations, but they can charge fees for non NHS services supplied to NHS patients (eg insurance forms etc.). NHS guidelines specifically exclude prescriptions for certain drugs such as antimalarials for holidays, and also "recreational" erectile dysfunction drugs.