NHS prescription charges

Sooty

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 April 2004
Messages
22,480
Location
Brussels sprout country
Visit site
NHS prescription charges (in England) go up every April 1st, and for the last N years have gone up by 10p. This time, they have gone up 25p, to £7.10! Ah, you may say - it is still good value given that some items cost many times that amount. Thing is, the prescription charge in Wales has been scrapped, and in Scotland it has gone down to £5, with a view to making them free like in Wales. What with that and the 10p tax band farce, I do wonder where this government is heading.
 
Prescription charges are great when you have to try 4 or 5 different prescription drugs in the space of less than 2 weeks to find one that your body can tolerate without making you violently sick
mad.gif
If only i lived that little bit closer to wales so i could hope over the boarder for a freebie
mad.gif
 
i had a prescription from a private doctor. when i took it to the chemist it was £4.00 you pay the price of the tablets
 
My Doc is quite good that if he thinks I can buy them cheaper over the counter then he tells me to do that rather than have a perscription.
But it is daylight robbery (Oh that is just our goverment)!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I pay the yearly charge because I can't live without my inhalers. I wish they were free....
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ] i think if you have a long time illness like astma (sp) you should get them free you do if you have diabetes. so why not inhaler pumps
 
shocked.gif
CRazy. I believe we pay the same prescription charges over here as what England does. My OH gets free as he is Type I diabetic. However, his mother who is type II diabetic and a brittle asmathic (sp I am having a total mind blank) I don't think gets hers free...she pays the yearly charge...

My local chemist will also tell me if I can buy them cheaper over the counter.
 
Correct, Diabetics get their prescriptions free but asthmatic's don't. I have both.
 
i think if you have a life long illness like asthma etc you should get it free. i remember years ago when we first got married and had no money and a baby, my OH who is a bad asthmatic had an attack. his doctor gave him a prescription with 4 items for him it was a thursday and pay day was friday so we had to ask pharmacist what items were most important as we could only afford 2.
blush.gif


p.s. i also had holes in the soles of my boots.
shocked.gif
 
I have allergies and have to carry prescribed anti-histhamines (sp), steroids and 2 Epipens around 24/7. When I was prescribed these drugs about 3 months ago it cost over £25... and that's something I'll have to keep paying as I have to renew most of it if I have a bad reaction
frown.gif
 
For people on low income they can apply to either pay less or nothing for prescriptions, glasses and dental care
As asthma can be fatal and does casue a lot of deaths a year (I stopped breathing once and had to be rescucitated) it seems odd that asthmatics have to pay.
 
god i think they are such as waste of money!!! i have a septic throat infection and was precribed penicillin liquid form as could not swallow tablets. so paid my £7.10p left opened bag in the car realised that they had put it in an orange based solution (am allergic to orange!!) went back had to mess around the next day going back and forth to the drs to get prescription changed to amoxcillin, went back thinking wouldnt have to pay again nope was charged again for the drugs!! so my one bottle of amoxcillin has cost me £14.20p!!!! think next time will just put up with the infection!!!!
 
It's just darn rediculous.

I went to my GP in the week, as I'm on 4 items for various things. One being a pain killer which needs an anti vomiting drug aswell in order for me not to puke up all the time, and then 2 others aswell.

I said to the GP it was just too expensive, and to give me allowances for at least a few months, rather than the 2 or 4 weeks it was.

Thankfully, he fully agreed, and I am happy (as much as I can be) with the GP.

As for the charges, I think they should not be as much as they are. I do not mind in priniciple paying for them, but it should be alot less than it is, esp for those who have to have a multitude of drugs (like I do), or those with lifelong conditions...

Bx
 
They are expensive...but then compare them to the meds the vet prescribe it suddenly seams value for money!!

PS if you do need lots or regular prescriptions you can get a 'yearly charge' that covers anything the doctor prescribes, I think from memory it works out the same if you have 6-7 prescriptions or more a year.

What is more worrying is when they make a mistake and give you the wrong meds as happened to me this weekend - thankfully it was a repeat prescription so I knew before I started swallowing!
 
Top