£869k worth of fines for false free med claims
PATIENTS across the Rochdale borough are being fined hundreds of thousands of pounds for falsely claiming free prescriptions.
Over half of the debt is still outstanding and a local doctor has said this costs the NHS and reduces funding for public services.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal patients were slapped with £869,894 worth of penalty charges for falsely claiming free medicine in 2018/19.
The total value of fines was issued across 9,226 penalty charges.
Dr Aggy York, local GP and Clinical Lead for Primary Care, said: “Patients who falsely claim prescription exemptions are asked to pay back the prescription charge plus a fine.
“If patients do not pay the required prescription charges this costs the NHS and reduces funding for public services. We understand that patients can and do make genuine mistakes and can be confused when it comes to declaring whether they are or are not exempt from prescription charges, for help, please visit the NHS website to check if you are eligible.”
Most adult patients across England are required to pay for NHS prescriptions - currently charged at £9 per item - though some people are exempt from the charges.
The NHS Business Service Authority says that money collected from these prescriptions is a key source of NHS funding.
Every year, though, money is lost to people claiming free prescriptions they aren’t entitled to.
The NHS Business Services Authority carries out checks on patients claiming free prescriptions and issues penalty charge notices to those who weren’t actually eligible.
A person sent a penalty charge notice will be required to pay the original NHS prescription as well as an additional charge of five times the original amount owed - up to a maximum of £100.
The figures reveal, though, that as of this month £470,947 of the £869,894 worth of fines issued to Rochdale patients had not yet been recovered.
The data also shows that the number of fines being issued is on the rise.
There were 5,034 handed out in 2016/17 (worth £449,191) and 7,691 the following year (worth £712,951), meaning the number of penalty charges has almost doubled.
Across Greater Manchester there were a total of 112,931 charges issued in 2018/19 - worth £10.8 million.
Some patients are exempt from paying prescription charges, including pregnant women, those aged 60 and over, people on benefits, and those with specific medical conditions.
Brendan Brown, Director of Citizen Services at the NHS Business Services Authority, said the number of checks carried out in recent years has increased.
He added: “It is important that we protect NHS funds and make sure that those who claim exemption from prescription charges are correctly entitled to do so.
“As repeatedly highlighted by the NHS Counter Fraud Agency, millions of pounds each year continues to be lost through fraudulent and incorrect claims for free prescriptions.
“It is important that we help protect the NHS from loss through error or deliberate fraud.”