Prescription length

[bamberger]

I have recently been diagnosed with a condition that requires me to take a tablet a day. The Doctor will only give me one months supply at a time, citing "Patients who receive more than a month's prescription are at an unfair advantage over those whom it deems eligible to pay.".
Is this standard throughout England and do I have any appeal rights beyond the Practice?
A prepaid season ticket is more expensive that 12 X £7.40. Of course in Scotland, Wales and NI it is all "free" regardless of income. Free meaning that England is subsidising them .
Thanks

[shaneystar2]

There's a bit about this on the news today
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13016936
It doesn't affect us as we no longer pay
However my husband had a DVT in his leg following surgery last year .He were given Warfarin ,varous dosages depending on the blood level thing and boxes of anticoag injections .
After being given the all clear on his leg we asked what we should do with all this medication that was left over .Unopened and untampered with .
They told us to throw it away !!
Then they wonder why the NHS is in trouble .

[Marijn]

You're not supposed to throw medication away yourselves. All unused medication should go back to the chemist.

[mrs_overall]

....yes, so that the chemist can throw it away

[bednobs]

well mike, you were silly. A 3 month pre payment certificate is around £30, so you could ahve saved yourself £60!

[shaneystar2]

It was dispensed at the hospital pharmacy not the chemist . The chemist told me to take it back to the hospital. The coag nurse at the hospital told me to throw it .So I did .

[mike11111]

No, at the time my GP was giving me three months' supply at a time, but this is what I would have had to pay had he been less generous.

[bednobs]

no, you still could have got a pre-payment certificate!

[bamberger]

Bednobs -esomeprazole 20mg. The feeling of unfairness is that I have more than paid my fair share -yet those who self inflict such as with obesity , drug addiction and alcohol abuse get treatment for free. I know its not a lot but I've probably cost the NHS less than a tenner a year for over 25 years and now that I need a tablet a day, I'm branded as being unfair for wanting more than a months worth at a time.

[jamesnan]

My husband and I have to take the same tablet, from the same doctors surgery. He gets 2 packs and I get 1 when the repeat prescription is done!!!! We are in England but since we are both over 60 it is free.

[bednobs]

ok then, you can relax - cost to NHS of that tablet per month is £18.50 - net saving of £11 ish to you
therefore you are being subsidised by me! What a cheek :)

[bednobs]

ps, treatment for obesity , drug addiction and alcohol abuse still attreacts a prescription charge

[bamberger]

Bednobs - yes but the English are subsidising the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish. How many drug addicts, alcoholicss and obese actually pay despite having the money to buy the stuff to inject, snort or inhale, render themselves incoherent or put Billy Bunter to shame. If you drew up a P&L account over the years, I'd be well in credit to the system.

[bednobs]

that's just the way our society works i'm afriad. I don't have any living children, but still pay for schools. I have never called the fire brigade, but they are still there should i need them. I have never used social services, but will if i need to. i don't ever go to the library, yet i pay for the books.
I don't know the answer to how many drug addicts etc but i suspect you don't either?
the devolved nations decide what do do with their own money, and i think that they will come to regret the free prescriptions bit when they have to cut something else to pay for it, and i'm not sure that it's the right thing to even do when the NHS is in such trouble. I get that you are annoyed, but as i said, Now, when you need it, the NHS are paying over a tenner a month for the rest of your life so you can feel better

[boxtops]

bamberger, it's been said on this thread and so many others that the English are NOT subsidising anyone - the other countries in the UK have their own devolved budgets, it's up them what they do with them. The English NHS (for examples) has walk-in centres - unknown in Scotland, the Scots put the money into their prescriptions. There is no health money being shuffled over Hadrian's Wall for prescriptions.

[bamberger]

Under the Barnett formula, the Scots, Irish & Welsh get more per capita than the English and so can afford free prescriptions. So you are being subsidised.

[boxtops]

Who are you saying "you are" to? I'm in England.

[karenmac60]

Bamberger - per head, maybe. But that is to take into account the fact that enormous parts of Scotland are practically uninhabited but services still have to be maintained. Areas which are huge with very low populations still need roads, hospitals, schools etc to cater for the people who do live there. This drives up the amount spent 'per head' for the population as a whole. You've got to remember that the vast majority of the Scots population is based in the central belt, but the rest of the country still has to be maintained.

[annie0000]

At the risk of getting banned for being on the same thread as you karen, i would also point out that these rural areas that still require to have services, have, in my experience, just as many English residents as Scots!

Personally i'd have rather they kept the prescription charges here, the poor were, in the main, already out of the picture for charges and I had no issue when paying - it's just lost revenue for no reason imo. There was no clamber from the populace for it to happen, it was just a publicity stunt to get votes.

[steg]

this is the 1st week of free prescriptions here
"Free meaning that England is subsidising them ." lol if it wasn't for Scottish oil englandshire would be a 3rd world country so think your self lucky you've got us sir englander ha ha ha

[bamberger]

Sorry Boxtops