NHS ‘harassing’ elderly over drug errors

 The NHS is harassing elderly patients who have accidentally claimed free prescriptions by treating them like “fraudsters”, MPS say.

A report by the Commons public accounts committee said a huge number of penalty charge notices (PCNS) with fines of up to £100 were handed out mistakenly, causing significant distress. MPS said the “presumption of guilt” meant PCNS were issued too readily to too many people. More than 1,600 patients have been contacted more than 20 times with demands for payment. However, since 2014, around 1.7 million PCNS – 30 per cent of all issued – have been subsequently withdrawn because a valid exemption was confirmed to be in place following a challenge, the report said.

MPS say patients are finding it difficult to understand whether they are entitled to free prescriptions and the current system of fines is “a heavy-handed rush to judgment”, adding that the “convoluted” system needs an overhaul.