I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information, I culled most of it from this thread on hotukdeals started by saxo_appeal. Most of the credit should go to saxo_appeal and other posters. This was done on the 9th of Jan 2010, always check the most up-to-date information for your country before doing anything. (I've altered, corrected and paraphrased stuff, nothing should necessarily be taken as a direct quote, I've tried to leave credit where possible, usual disclaimers apply.)
Edited to include the post from hermione25 and again to include Pharmacy First information.
Wales
Since the 1st of April 2007 pharmacies in Wales have stopped charging for dispensing your prescription as long as it was written by a GP in Wales. From the same date, prescription pre-payment certificates were no longer available for Welsh patients. Free prescriptions!
Scotland
£38.00 (twelve months) and £13.00 (four months)
yipaykaya pointed out that from April 2010 this will drop to £28 for 12 months and £10 for 4 months from April 2010.
http://www.infoscotland.com/prescriptions/prepayment-certificates.html
PPC's can be purchased for a four or twelve-month period. If you need more than three prescription items in a four-month period, or more than nine prescription items in twelve months, you will find it cheaper to buy a PPC.
There doesn't appear to be a way to pay by Direct Debit, but it's a lot cheaper than England anyway (at £13 for 4 months in Scotland as opposed to ten MONTHLY payments of £10.40 on DD in England.) It would appear to be a bad idea to buy a 12 month period at the moment as the prices will drop in April.
England
£104.00 (twelve months) and £28.25 (three months)
http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1127.aspx
If you will have to pay for four or more prescription items in three months, or more than 14 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a PPC. The charge for a single prescription item is £7.20, whereas a three month PPC will cost you £28.25 and a 12 month PPC £104.00.
morlspin said [the price in England is expected to be] going up in April (implying buying 12 months certificate would be a good idea) and that the English card may be used up in Scotland, but not the other way around.
nickleface pointed out you can Pay by Direct Debit over 10 months for £10.40 per month, this would likely make it the most affordable way of dealing with English prescription charges, especially if they do go up in April.
Northern Ireland
£25.00 (twelve months) and £9.00 (three months) - Prescriptions will be free as of April 2010 (so don't buy a twelve month!)
http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-dhssps-201108-free_prescriptions_gets
As with Scotland, there doesn't appear to be a way to pay by Direct Debit, but it's a lot cheaper than England anyway (at £9 for 3 months in NI as opposed to ten MONTHLY payments of £10.40 on DD in England.) It would appear to be a bad idea to buy a 3 month period at the moment as the prices will be free as of April.
Assistance Affording Prescriptions for People with a Low Income
GSD and Reens pointed out you may be able to get free prescriptions if your income is below a certain amount. It may be worth looking into. It is called the low income scheme.
http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1125.aspx
There's a HC1 form you can fill in if you are on a low wage and they assess what you have told them and you either get full help for a year or half help. They respond pretty fast too. You can get the form from your local CAB or order from the NHS website
Minimising Non-PPC Prescription Spending - 2 or 3 Months Supply
awhitham's nurse gave him a tip to save money. "Have 2 or 3 of each inhaler prescribed at once. Each set of 2 or 3 counts as one prescription charge and lasts months!"
There is some debate on HUKD about this, hotukdeals user "pill" explained that GP's are incentivised to reduce the amounts they prescribe, as this saves that NHS a huge some of money. This is the reason that few give now give more than 28 days supply as this helps to cut waste.
Forensis responded with,
"For people on long term medication, who are the only people who would be prescribed large quantities, giving them 1 months supply is more expensive. As you probably know, pharmacists are paid per item they dispense. By providing one months supply the NHS is effectively paying treble what they other would be. There's plenty of links out there, I'm surprised at the amount of people saying 1 months supply is normal.
'Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers.':
http://www.physorg.com/news177919033.html
'The Department of Health recommends that NHS prescriptions for longer than 3 months supply should not be routinely given.':
http://www.brightonhovecitypct.nhs.uk/healthprofessionals/clinical-areas/prescribing/documents/TravelmedicinesPIL.pdf
The issue of waste is more easily solved by GPs setting a time limit between repeat requests. You can horde 1 months supply if you're allowed to request a repeat every week."
It's still worth asking your doctor though!
Minimising Non-PPC Prescription Spending - OTC Medication Cheaper Than Prescription
If you are just prescribed something over that you can buy over the counter without prescription, paracetamol for example, check at your pharmacy to see if it's cheaper to just buy it outright than pay the prescription charge to have it. Your doctor will generally make you aware if this is the case, however it's worth checking.
Pharmacy First - Free Medication for Minor Ailments
There's a scheme called the Pharmacy First that encourages you to visit your pharmacy for "minor ailments" so that you get seen quickly and don't tie up your local GP. It's free and if using a PPC or for some other reason you don't pay for prescriptions (like you live in Wales), so are the relevant medications. Not all pharmacies participate in this scheme, but depending on where you live you may find almost all do. In Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland all the pharmacies do, as do most of the ones in Torfaen (just two random examples from Google) and more and more pharmacies are signing up.
You may have to fill in some forms, sign up with the pharmacy or use some vouchers or something similar. I'd advise you to check with your local pharmacy and check on the NHS website to see if any in your area participate in the scheme. A list of ailments that appear to be generally covered are:
- Coughs
- Colds
- Sore throats
- Headaches
- Earaches
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Stomach upsets
- Colic (babies)
- Thrush
- Cystitis (for women)
- Head lice
- Eczema or dermatitis
- Nappy rash
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Conjunctivitis (sticky eye)
- Warts
- Chicken pox
- Verrucas
- Threadworm
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pharmacy/Pages/Commonconditions.aspx
All pharmacies can provide advice on some common health problems, and offer advice and medicines that will help to alleviate them. In addition some pharmacies run a minor ailment service, which means they can supply medicines for certain specific conditions on the NHS. It is up to local primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide whether pharmacies in your area provide these services.
If your pharmacy runs a minor ailment service for eczema, for example, that means your pharmacist can supply medicines for this condition and you will only pay the standard prescription charge. Or if you are exempt from paying prescription charges, because you're over 60, for example, you will not pay for the medicine.Refunds for Prescriptions You've Already Paid For (Or Need While Waiting for your PPC)
NHSBSA website states "If you have to pay a prescription charge while you are waiting for your PPC, you may get a refund as long as you have an NHS receipt form FP57. The pharmacist or dispensing doctor can only issue an FP57 at the time you pay for a prescription charge - they cannot issue you one later. You can claim the prescription charge(s) back up to 3 months after paying. The FP57 tells you what to do. But remember the PPC itself can only be backdated by one month."
morlspin clarified "We can only backdate the certs for 1 calendar month, therefore any prescriptions purchased outside of the month backdate would not be refundable"
hermione25 gave this advice, "If the 12 month payment is a bit steep for a one off payment, and you are **** like me and remember to put dates on the calendar, you can get 4 months worth of prescriptions for 3 months by renewing them strictly every 28 days. This means you only need to buy 3 x 3 month prepayment certificates per year, rather than 4."
For example Buy 3 month prepayment certificate on 1st April (lasts till 30th June).
Order 1 lot of prescriptions (I have 4 prescriptions a month for asthma & eczema) on 1st April, 2nd lot 29th April, 3rd lot 27th May, 4th lot 24th June. You then don't need to renew your next prepayment certificate until 28 days later, 22nd July when you do the whole thing over again.
You have to decline to automatically renew the certificate when you get the reminder through the post, however you can simply renew via the internet whenever you choose to, using the number on the last (expired) card."
MedEx - Free Prescriptions for Suffers of Specific Ailments
bingohomer - Medical exemption (MedEx) certificates [entitle you to free prescriptions and] are issued on application to people who have:
* A permanent fistula (for example caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) requiring an appliance or continuous surgical dressing.
* A form of hypoadrenalism (for example Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is needed.
* Diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism.
* Diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone.
* Hypoparathyroidism.
* Myasthenia gravis.
* Myxoedema (hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone replacement).
* Epilepsy requiring continuous anticonvulsive therapy.
* Continuing physical disability which means the person can't go out without the help of another person. Temporary disabilities do not count even if they last for several months.
You are also issued with a MedEx if you are undergoing treatment for cancer. This includes treatment for the effects of cancer or for the effects of cancer treatments.
To apply for a MedEx certificate ask your doctor for an FP92A form. Your GP, hospital or service doctor will sign the form to confirm that your statement is correct (or, at your GP's discretion, a member of the practice who has access to your medical records).
Your certificate will be valid from one month before the date that the NHS Business Services Authority receives the application form.
The MedEx lasts for five years and then needs to be renewed. You may receive a reminder that your certificate needs to be renewed. If you don't receive a reminder, it is your responsibility to ensure that it is renewed.
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