Prescriptons

[vjtrev]

Hi Everyone,

looking for some advice please.

I had to go to A&E on monday due to an asthma attack, I was given a prescription for 3 items but they could only give me too at the time. One of these was for steroids to to be taken for 5 days at 8 tablets at day (by my calcs is 40 but they only gave me 30) and 1 other item they said I had to pick up from the hospital pharmacy on Tuesday.

When I went to the pharmacy I was charged full price for the 10 tablets they owed me and the other item turned out the be an anti-allergy which I usually buy from Asda for less than 1 pound.

As I didn't have the money at the time I was given I receipt for payment in 14 days.

Is there anyway I can dispute this as why should I pay over 13 pound for a mis-calculation and a product I can buy elsewhere for 1 pound?

Thanks for any help

 

Tracy

[poppynurse]

You should not have been charged for the items owing, and most pharmacies will advise you if you can buy the product cheaper over the counter. I would write to the address where you are supposed to send payment and also send a copy to the chief pharmacist at the pharmacy where they filled the script, dispute the charge for the 10 tablets owed and ask them to reconsider the other charge.

[dubliner10]

Hi vjtrev,

 

You could try and get a refund or argue, but what you pay is a prescription charge i.e. for each item dispensed so even if you had to go back 40 times to get all 40 tablets you'd end up spending 40 x the prescription charge - daft I know. What you could do is to contact the Matron for the A&E dept. and explain the situation - to prevent it happening again. MOst A&E dept.s dispense pre-measured pots - so there might only be 30 in a pot, the other choice being to give you 60.

 

I agree with Poppynurse, the pharmacist could have advised you that the item was available over the counter and that is something you could argue with the Chief Pharmacist about.

 

Charges for prescription only drugs though are a thorny issue, but remember you don't pay for the drug you pay for the prescription. Means that if you are prescribed a drug costing £60 it only still costs you less than a tenner. Mind you it swings the other way too.