Prescription Exemption Certificate Eligibility — Scope | Disability forum
If we become concerned about you or anyone else while using one of our services, we will act in line with our safeguarding policy and procedures. This may involve sharing this information with relevant authorities to ensure we comply with our policies and legal obligations.

Find out how to let us know if you're concerned about another member's safety.
Please read our updated community house rules and community guidelines.

Prescription Exemption Certificate Eligibility

Magnoliabloom
Magnoliabloom Community member Posts: 30 Connected
A family member has a number of linked serious health problems. 
Regular medications are required . The tax credit system ( for various reasons) has withdrawn the exemption card for free prescriptions.
The Business Service Authority (BSA) sent out very concerning demands for payment of prescription changes and then started to add surcharges. This has caused a lot of worry to an already disabled person waiting to go into hospital. We have challenged and surcharges have been removed.
We have looked at the list of Medical conditions which would enable qualification for a PRESCRIPTION EXEMPTION CARD (PEC) to be signed off by the GP. The list is very restricted and many serious life changing and lifelong medical illnesses /disabilities clearly do not allow qualification for a PEC.
We find this strange, disappointing, inequitable and unsatisfactory. We would like to know if this  narrow list of qualifying medical conditions has been challenged by any person or organisation for excluding some conditions ? Who draw up this list and on what basis ?
Also has scope made any comment or challenge to the BSA about the disadvantage this system demonstrates to some disabled individuals. 

Comments

  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • Nystagmite
    Nystagmite Community member Posts: 596 Pioneering
    I seem to remember the list was drawn up some 50-60 years ago.

    There's a campaign by Parkinsons UK (I think) so that everyone with long term medical problems is exempt. I'm not sure how that's going at the moment.
  • Magnoliabloom
    Magnoliabloom Community member Posts: 30 Connected
     Thank you CockneyRebel . BSA have sent the form HC2 . I have not looked at it in detail yet but if it is "means tested" and I noted they want partners earnings info. then we are unlikely to qualify.   
    BSA (or whoever formulated the list) do not understand the effect of medical illness that is perhaps rare or unusual it seems. The list is the list and that is that. Inequitable you may say possibly discriminatory to persons with severe disability/illness outside of their approved "list".  Thank you.

  • whistles
    whistles Community member Posts: 1,583 Disability Gamechanger
    I think being on certain benefits means you are exempt? 

    Do not follow me, I don't know where I am going.
  • Magnoliabloom
    Magnoliabloom Community member Posts: 30 Connected
    Thank you Nystagmite. You are correct the list of health conditions ( qualification for Prescription Exemption Certificate) is 50 years old ! Parkinsons UK are calling for free prescriptions for all patients with long term serious health conditions Here is the detail please support the petition below- see the web site.

    1. Information and support | Parkinson's UK

      www.parkinsons.org.uk/information-and-support

      Parkinson's UK is the operating name of the Parkinson's Disease Society of the United Kingdom. A registered charity in England and Wales (258197) and in Scotland (SC037554) Our website uses cookies to give you the best experience, make the site work properly and help us deliver effective communications.

    Hello

    I’ve just signed Prescription Charges Coalition petition to end prescription charges for people with long-term health conditions.  Will you help by signing it too?

    What’s wrong with prescription charges? 

    Prescriptions are charged at £8.60 per item. For people that require several medications a month the cost is an enormous burden to bear. A third of people told us that they have not collected a prescription due to the cost. This can result in avoidable GP and hospital visits and can severely impact their health.

    The list of conditions that do not pay for prescriptions will be 50 years old in June, and remains largely unchanged in England. To mark its anniversary, we are launching a petition calling on the government to update it to include all people with long-term conditions.

    People with long term conditions deserve better.

    That’s why we're calling on the UK Government to scrap these charges.

    SIGN THE PETITION HERE

    Thank you 


Brightness

Complete our feedback form and tell us how we can make the community better.

Do you need advice on your energy costs?


Scope’s Disability Energy Support service is open to any disabled household in England or Wales in which one or more disabled people live. You can get free advice from an expert adviser on managing energy debt, switching tariffs, contacting your supplier and more. Find out more information by visiting our
Disability Energy Support webpage.