Medical Exemption card

Status
Not open for further replies.
scotty

scotty

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
When diagonsed with t1 in october last year my dsn nurse said i would be intilted to one of these, When collecting my script i have just ticked the box, as they have never asked for it.

How do i obtain one of these? And when i do get one will i have to pay for the 4 months prescriptions, i have not payed for? :confused:

Ta......
 
Insulin doesn't have any prescription charges attached to it, so if thats what yours is for there shouldn't be any outstanding. But it's unlikely you'd have to pay them retrospectively anyway.

You can apply for a 5year exemption cert, just pick up the application form from your gp surgery, fill it in and send it off. All type 1s and injecting type 2s are eligible, it covers ALL prescriptions, not just diabetes related ones.
 
Your GP needs to give you a form which you complete and send off for your card.
 
I've never shown mine, but I guess I would have to when, or maybe I should say if(!) I need to pick up some drugs that are not directly for Diabetes. I think my GP sent my form off for me. If they try and get money out of you RUN!
 
Rossi

I wish I could help more - I have a Scottish tel no, which is no use to you

When I was diagnosed 9 years ago - my GP filled in all the paperwork, then I received the certificate which exempted me from ALL prescription charges

I renew it every 3 or 4 years (can't remember), but from 2012 or 2014 there will be NO prescription charges in Scotland

Hazel
 
You are not legally required to show the card at pharmacy but If you don't the pharmacist is supposed to mark that on the script although they never seem to bother these days.

Your GP should have issued the form with the doctors part filled in the first time you were prescribed diabetic medication. The card can be backdated about a month I think.

I think though if you have not applied for a card and then ticked the box on the prescription to say you have got one you could be technically be committing an offence even if you are entitled to exemption. The exact wording on the script is that you have a valid medical exemption certificate, not that you have a condition that makes you exempt.
 
SweetGuy said:
You are not legally required to show the card at pharmacy but If you don't the pharmacist is supposed to mark that on the script although they never seem to bother these days.

Your GP should have issued the form with the doctors part filled in the first time you were prescribed diabetic medication. The card can be backdated about a month I think.

I think though if you have not applied for a card and then ticked the box on the prescription to say you have got one you could be technically be committing an offence even if you are entitled to exemption. The exact wording on the script is that you have a valid medical exemption certificate, not that you have a condition that makes you exempt.
Click to expand...

I got told i was exempt, was never told how to get the card so i dont think i have done anything wrong, and not commited an offence, they could take me to court , and i would laugh in there faces, once again not enough help and info for this disease.
 
Hazel said:
Rossi

I wish I could help more - I have a Scottish tel no, which is no use to you

When I was diagnosed 9 years ago - my GP filled in all the paperwork, then I received the certificate which exempted me from ALL prescription charges

I renew it every 3 or 4 years (can't remember), but from 2012 or 2014 there will be NO prescription charges in Scotland

Hazel
Click to expand...

Hazel, maybe I miss typed, but I have one thanks! So no need for any help! Thanks anyway🙂
 
You don't have to be on insulin to get one, just a diabetic who's condition isn't treated "by diet alone". So if you're on any kind of medication for your diabetes (metformin, gliclazide whatever) the you can get one. Finding the form can be hard, i asked half the pharmacies in town, and the one at my surgery and they all denied having any. I did eventually find one at the hospital pharmacy where i work.
Pharmacy staff should ask to see your card, but generally, people mostly take diabetes meds for diabetes (ok, you can take metformin for other things, if you're a girl...) and in a similar way to pregnant ladies, you don't ask, coz it's obvious, coz you're busy and in my case, coz you've forgotten how to work the till:D. If it were me, i'd ask and if you said no i'd probably try and recommend you got one. If you have paid for any prescriptions in the last three months you can reclaim the money, but only if you got a reciept.
You can also claim for some thyroid conditions, but i forget which.

Rachel
 
The info below with the link is something I posted on this topic a while ago, you may find it useful.

http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/HealthCosts/1126.aspx

The above link will take you to the NHS Business Services web site which contains information about medical exemption certificates, which form to ask for and how to apply.

The Medical Exemption Certificates are valid for 5 years and you will receive a reminder about a month before it is due to expire so that you can send for a replacement.

You may also be able to claim a refund on any prescriptions that you have paid for since you were diagnosed and before receipt of the Medical Exemption Certificate if you fill in form FP57.

Hope this helps.
progress.gif
 
Thanks for this info. I was diagnosed last wednesday and having received no info about entitlements etc from GP i just told local pharmacy i had just been diagnosed with diabetes and had no certificate. As the prescription was for metformin and simvastatin she told me i didn't have to pay, she ticked box 'E' on the prescription and that was that! She did say i might encounter problems getting prescription in future (if not handed in to local pharmacy) so i shall endeavour to get form from GP when i see her on the 24th.
 
i never knew i had to have one until my GP at Uni asked me if I had one...being under 18 and in full time education before that i never had to pay anyway 🙂 it was all news to me! Next thing I know, there's a letter through the door from my GP saying I should have one with the forms folded up inside. Got the card no problemo and there it sits in my purse...i don't think its seen the light of day in the past 3 years....
 
Another thing that applied in my case is that if you have a current pre-payment certificate when you are diagnosed you can get a refund for each whole month left on the ppc. Being able to backdate the exemption certificate to the beginning of the month can save you a few quid in that case.
 
Hubby was happy when he reached 60 and has spent endless hours telling me he doesn't have to produce a piece of plastic to get free pills. The only person in our house who has to pay for prescriptions is grown up son andhe is feeling left out of it...
 
anyone have any idea how long it takes to get one after filling in the form? i had to reapply for mine (i lost it) about a month or so ago and haven't had anything back.
 
Mine didn't take very long once the form had been filled in. For me the most difficult part was getting Doctor idiot to sign it...
 
Mine showed up pretty quickly after I filled in the form. I have to produce it whenever I collect a prescription, or I did until I joined the Lloyds repeat prescription thing and they took a photocopy of the cert. Next time I'll just need to show up and collect my stuff.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top