NHS versus private prescriptions. Should we informed of the cheaper by our GP's

Checked with my pharmacy today when I got my monthly tablets for blood pressure about the cost of having a private script. I was told it would cost £5 as opposed to £7 something ( They have just gone up again ).

I will be asking for a private one next month. I would have thought it was the Doctor's duty to inform each patient of the cheapest alternative, they should do the same when the drug is available over the counter. We are ripped off.

gerber wrote:Checked with my pharmacy today when I got my monthly tablets for blood pressure about the cost of having a private script. I was told it would cost £5 as opposed to £7 something ( They have just gone up again ).

I will be asking for a private one next month. I would have thought it was the Doctor's duty to inform each patient of the cheapest alternative, they should do the same when the drug is available over the counter. We are ripped off.

I'd see what durham says on this...from an insider..that is.

Personally, I always ask for an alternative when I need any form of medication

What I can't understand is why you only have to pay for prescriptions in England, when they're free in Scotland and Wales.

Tess wrote:What I can't understand is why you only have to pay for prescriptions in England, when they're free in Scotland and Wales.

Without getting into a political discussion as here is not the place, the Welsh and Scottish MP's voted with liebour when they were in power to keep the charge and increase it, yet voted in their own Assemblies to withdraw all charges, the same thing happened with regard to car parking at hospitals.

gerber wrote:

Tess wrote:What I can't understand is why you only have to pay for prescriptions in England, when they're free in Scotland and Wales.

Without getting into a political discussion as here is not the place, the Welsh and Scottish MP's voted with liebour when they were in power to keep the charge and increase it, yet voted in their own Assemblies to withdraw all charges, the same thing happened with regard to car parking at hospitals.

good doctors will do so and also good pharmacists will also tell you.

Okay....I think we are dealing with two separate issues here

Firstly, a private prescription is generally only given when a treatment is not warranted on the NHS. This would generally be something such as Viagra (although conditions apply where is available) and perhaps hair loss

The second would be for a generic drug where the patent has expired. This is generally for older drugs. Now, you wouldn't need a private script sonlong as available as OTC......you could simply buy it. Many older painkillers and such are available like this. If the medicine is a POM, then you are quite correct that the cost of the medicine is less than that of a prescription in England, but that's where the NHS makes a bit of cash back from us. A GP doesn't have to give you a private script for something like this, and, if they do, they are entitled to charge you for a private script.

Check out the multitude of conditions where you get free prescriptions or, if you have a lot of medicines, buy a monthly per payment card.

If you want to PM me more details....I can look into it further

gerber wrote:

Tess wrote:What I can't understand is why you only have to pay for prescriptions in England, when they're free in Scotland and Wales.

Without getting into a political discussion as here is not the place, the Welsh and Scottish MP's voted with liebour when they were in power to keep the charge and increase it, yet voted in their own Assemblies to withdraw all charges, the same thing happened with regard to car parking at hospitals.

which is a very good reason to stop scottish and welsh MP's voting on purely english subjects.

gerber wrote:

Without getting into a political discussion as here is not the place, the Welsh and Scottish MP's voted with liebour when they were in power to keep the charge and increase it, yet voted in their own Assemblies to withdraw all charges, the same thing happened with regard to car parking at hospitals.

Isn't it strange that the truth is so easily twisted...

Flap Meister wrote:
which is a very good reason to stop scottish and welsh MP's voting on purely english subjects.

Whats it like in Turkey? Do you pay for doctors etc? My GP always used to tell me if something was cheaper to buy than to get on a prescription.