tracey mckenna
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi
I wonder if you can help me please?
I received a Penalty Note charge from the NHS Business Services Authority on 20th July 2017 .
This related to a Prescription charge of £17.20 for items I had received in April 2017 which I was advised I was not entitled to as I did not have a valid exemption certificate.
I have been a Type one Diabetic since 1988 and although I did receive a exemption certificate at that point, I was not aware that more recent legislation had been brought in since 2002 stating that all cards needed to be renewed every 5 years, and I have never received any correspondence advising me of this, so I have always just thought that I could sign a prescription legitimately stating that I was exempt from prescription payments.
It states on the letter that
A.If you met the criteria listed in the table between 5/4/217 and 30/4/17 tell us as soon as possible.
I contacted the Business Service Authority straight away and explained that I had never received any letter asking me to update my card every 5 years.
I also went to my GP on the same day and signed a form to obtain a new exemption card.
I received the card a few days later and called back the NHS BSA to confirm my certificate number, but the next part of the letter states
B. If you did not qualify for free NHS prescriptions between the dated 5/4/17 and 30/4/17 you must either
Pay the original prescription charges and a penalty as a result of making an incorrect claim
Prescription £17.20
Penalty £86.00
Total £103.20
If you remain liable for a penalty charge and do not pay the outstanding charges by 17 August you will be liable to pay an additional surcharge of up to £50.
Now I accept that the following is my error however when I rang them to confirm that I did now have a Medical certificate and told them the number I just assumed that this then covered me and I wouldn’t have to pay anything as I did think I qualified through my being Type 1 Diabetic.
I am now aware but this is a genuine error on my part and that I still should have paid for the £17.20 prescription charge, and have now received a further letter increasing the payment to £147.
I really would not have objected to paying the £17.20 of course, it’s just that I made a genuine error .
I have contacted the NHS BSA to explain this however they have said the fine still stands and I must now pay the full £147 or they will send me to a debt collector.
I am experiencing a period of great stress in my life at present, and I’m not sure how I could cope with this - I am going through a marital break up, so the last thing I need is a “black mark” going against me as I need to at some point purchase a new home and cannot afford to have a bad credit rating appear.
I would find the £147 really difficult to pay - even if they gave me until the 16th January 2018 which is how long they would extend the terms to.
I have seen that some people have managed to appeal their fines successfully, but it looks as though this may have been a while ago.
I just wondered if anyone knew if there is anything else I can do. I never knowingly tried to “defraud” anyone and I have seen on other forums that people who did have a very old certificate were never informed of the new ruling of the 5 year card replacement, and I categorically never received any reminder.
To be honest I thought that as a Type 1 Diabetic, it’s something I have for life that I was covered for life. I do appreciate that it is my responsibility however I had literally no idea of this policy until I received the original letter in July.
Many thanks Tracey
I wonder if you can help me please?
I received a Penalty Note charge from the NHS Business Services Authority on 20th July 2017 .
This related to a Prescription charge of £17.20 for items I had received in April 2017 which I was advised I was not entitled to as I did not have a valid exemption certificate.
I have been a Type one Diabetic since 1988 and although I did receive a exemption certificate at that point, I was not aware that more recent legislation had been brought in since 2002 stating that all cards needed to be renewed every 5 years, and I have never received any correspondence advising me of this, so I have always just thought that I could sign a prescription legitimately stating that I was exempt from prescription payments.
It states on the letter that
A.If you met the criteria listed in the table between 5/4/217 and 30/4/17 tell us as soon as possible.
I contacted the Business Service Authority straight away and explained that I had never received any letter asking me to update my card every 5 years.
I also went to my GP on the same day and signed a form to obtain a new exemption card.
I received the card a few days later and called back the NHS BSA to confirm my certificate number, but the next part of the letter states
B. If you did not qualify for free NHS prescriptions between the dated 5/4/17 and 30/4/17 you must either
Pay the original prescription charges and a penalty as a result of making an incorrect claim
Prescription £17.20
Penalty £86.00
Total £103.20
If you remain liable for a penalty charge and do not pay the outstanding charges by 17 August you will be liable to pay an additional surcharge of up to £50.
Now I accept that the following is my error however when I rang them to confirm that I did now have a Medical certificate and told them the number I just assumed that this then covered me and I wouldn’t have to pay anything as I did think I qualified through my being Type 1 Diabetic.
I am now aware but this is a genuine error on my part and that I still should have paid for the £17.20 prescription charge, and have now received a further letter increasing the payment to £147.
I really would not have objected to paying the £17.20 of course, it’s just that I made a genuine error .
I have contacted the NHS BSA to explain this however they have said the fine still stands and I must now pay the full £147 or they will send me to a debt collector.
I am experiencing a period of great stress in my life at present, and I’m not sure how I could cope with this - I am going through a marital break up, so the last thing I need is a “black mark” going against me as I need to at some point purchase a new home and cannot afford to have a bad credit rating appear.
I would find the £147 really difficult to pay - even if they gave me until the 16th January 2018 which is how long they would extend the terms to.
I have seen that some people have managed to appeal their fines successfully, but it looks as though this may have been a while ago.
I just wondered if anyone knew if there is anything else I can do. I never knowingly tried to “defraud” anyone and I have seen on other forums that people who did have a very old certificate were never informed of the new ruling of the 5 year card replacement, and I categorically never received any reminder.
To be honest I thought that as a Type 1 Diabetic, it’s something I have for life that I was covered for life. I do appreciate that it is my responsibility however I had literally no idea of this policy until I received the original letter in July.
Many thanks Tracey
