Scottish Government

CAN YOU GET FREE PRESCRIPTIONS?

The list opposite will help you check whether you are entitled to free prescriptions.

If you are, take proof of entitlement with you when you take your prescription to the pharmacy.

If you forget to take proof with you, you will receive the prescription without charge, but checks are made on people who do not provide evidence.

If you are found to have claimed exemption wrongly, you will be asked to repay the charge and will also be served with a notice requiring payment of an additional penalty charge.

EXEMPTION CRITERIA

HELP WITH HEALTH COSTS

You do not have to pay if you;

• are under 16 years old;
• are 16, 17 or 18 and in qualifying full-time education;
• are 60 years of age and over;
• have a specific listed medical condition which confers exemption;
• have a valid Maternity Exemption Certificate (EC92);
• have a valid War Pension Exemption Certificate;
• have a valid Prescription Pre-payment Certificate;
• get, or has a partner who gets 'Pension Credit Guarantee Credit' ( PCGC);
• get, or has a partner who gets Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance;
• hold or are named on a valid NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate;
• are named on a current NHS Low Income Scheme certificate HC2 'Help with health costs'.

YOUNG PEOPLE

Are you aged 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education?

If the answer is YES, then you are entitled to the following NHS items and services free of charge:

NHS Prescriptions

NHS Dental Treatment

NHS Wigs and Fabric Supports

PEOPLE AGED 60 AND OVER

If you are aged 60 or over then you are entitled to receive:

Free NHS Prescriptions

PEOPLE RECEIVING BENEFITS

Are you (or your partner if you have one) receiving:

• Income Support?
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance?
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit?

Do you have an NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate?

If the answer is YES to any of the above then you are entitled to all of the items and services free of charge, plus:

Vouchers towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses

A refund of any reasonable amount spent on travel to receive treatment at an NHS hospital.

To claim your entitlement, tell the practitioner when you have your treatment that you think you don't have to pay. The practitioner will ask you for evidence that you don't have to pay and ask you to sign a form.

Note: If you are receiving a benefit not listed above, check the rest of this leaflet to see whether you might be entitled to help on other grounds.

PEOPLE ON A LOW INCOME

If none of the circumstances already mentioned apply to you, but you have difficulty paying NHS charges, you may qualify for help under the NHS Low Income Scheme. This is an income-related scheme which looks at your (and your partner's) weekly requirements and income to calculate how much, if anything, you should pay towards your health costs.

The threshold for full help under the Scheme changes from time to time, so if you haven't claimed for a while, it may be worth making a new claim.

If you want to claim help under the Low Income Scheme, pick up form HC1 at Community Pharmacies, GP Practices, Citizens Advice Scotland Offices and Local Authority One Stop Shops.

You can also get a form, advice on completing it, or information and general advice by calling a helpline on: 0845 850 1166 (calls are charged at local rate).

WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT OR WHO HAVE GIVEN BIRTH IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

You are entitled to receive:

Free NHS Prescriptions

Free NHS Dental Treatment

To get these, you will need to apply for an NHS Maternity Exemption Certificate.

Application forms are available from your GP, midwife or health visitor. They will help you to complete the form and will send it to your NHS Board. You will receive your certificate by post.

PEOPLE WITH CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS

If you have one of the following medical conditions, apply for an NHS Medical Exemption Certificate that will entitle you to receive NHS prescriptions free of charge. The exempting conditions are:

Hypoparathyroidism

Hypoadrenalism for which specific substitution therapy is essential (e.g Addison's Disease)

Diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism

Diabetes Mellitus except where treatment is by diet alone

Myasthenia Gravis

Myxoedema (that is, Hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone replacement)

Epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy

A permanent Fistula requiring continuous surgical dressing or requiring an appliance (also referred to as a Stoma)

In addition to these conditions, if you have a continuing physical disability which means that you are unable to leave your home without the help of another person you might also qualify.

To apply for a Medical Exemption Certificate, ask the receptionist at your GP surgery. An application form EC92A will be completed at the surgery, and will be endorsed by your GP. The surgery will send off the application to your NHS Board and you will receive your certificate by post.

CHARGES

NHS PRESCRIPTION CHARGES

• Charge per prescribed item £6.65

For items dispensed in combination (duo) packs, there is a prescription charge for each different drug in the pack.

REFUNDS

If you are paying prescription charges but think that you might want to claim a refund, ask the pharmacist for an NHS receipt (form HCS(R)) when you pay the charge.

You can only get a receipt at the time you pay the charge. The receipt tells you what you need to do to claim a refund.

Claims must be made within three months of the date you paid the charge.

If you have applied for help under the NHS Low Income Scheme but have not yet received a reply complete form HC5 and send it with the receipt to: Patient Services, Business Services Authority, Sandyford House, Archbold Terrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 1DB.

You can get an HC5 from:

• your local Jobcentre Plus office
• your local hospital
• some dentists and opticians
• www.ppa.nhs.uk -(it will be posted to you.)
• by request from Patient Services on:

0845 850 1166
(calls are charged at the local rate)

Prescription prepayment certificates ( PPC)

Application received on or after 1 April 2006:

• 4 months £34.65
• 12 months £95.30

NHS WIGS AND FABRIC SUPPORTS

• Stock modacrylic wig £6.65*
• Partial wig - human hair £145.55*
• Full bespoke wig - human hair £212.85*
• Abdominal support £33.75*
• Spinal support £33.75*
• Surgical brassiere £22.30*
• Support stockings - each £6.65
• Support tights - per pair £13.30*

*Available from hospitals only

HOSPITAL TRAVEL COSTS

If you are eligible to receive free prescriptions you may also be eligible for help with necessary travel costs.

The maximum you will pay if you live in the Scottish Highlands and Islands is:

• Scottish Highlands and Islands £10.00

NHS DENTAL TREATMENT from 1 June 2006

• Basic examination FREE*
• Extensive clinical examination FREE*
• Simple scale and polish £9.48
• Two small X-rays and one small filling from £10.52
• Two small X-rays and one large filling from £20.64
• A precious metal crown from £95.04
• Full set of plastic dentures from £130.28
• An upper or lower metal denture from £114.80

You pay 80 per cent of the cost of the treatment up to a maximum of £384 if you can't get free treatment or help with the cost. The above are only examples of what you might pay for courses of treatment that start on or after 1 June 2006. The total cost of NHS treatment may be different from these examples because of the number, or types, of treatment involved. If you are registered for Continuing Care with your dentist, you may ask your dentist for a treatment plan. This is provided free of charge and explains what treatment your dentist recommends, the price for each part of the treatment, and the likely total cost.

* To people who are ordinarily resident in the UK or who belong in one of the categories for exemption from NHS charges set out in the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Scotland) Regulations 1989.

SIGHT TESTS

• NHS eye examination FREE*
• NHS eye examination at home FREE*
• Hospital eye department test FREE
• Private sight test see your optician
• Private sight test at home see your optician

NHS VOUCHERS FOR GLASSES AND CONTACT LENSES

Optical vouchers

Maximum value per pair of glasses or contact lenses

* To people who are ordinarily resident in the UK or who belong in one of the categories for exemption from NHS charges set out in the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Scotland) Regulations 1989.

Supplements to vouchers where clinically necessary

Repairs/replacements of glasses or contact lenses

If, exceptionally, you are entitled to a voucher for repair or replacement, its value will be up to the figures show in this leaflet, depending on the part which needs replacing or repairing.

THE PENALTY CHARGE

A penalty charge may be imposed on patients who are found to have wrongly claimed total or partial help with health costs.

The penalty charge is five times the amount owed, up to a maximum of a £100. This is in addition to the original charge. For example:

Prescriptions penalty charge

A patient who wrongly claims to be eligible for free prescriptions when the charge is £6.65 will have to pay:

• The original charge of £6.65
• A penalty charge of £33.25
• TOTAL £39.90

For advice call 0845 601 2912

Dental costs penalty charge

A patient who wrongly claims free dental treatment when the charge for the course of treatment is £30 will have to pay:

• The original dental charge of £30
• The maximum penalty charge of £100
• TOTAL £130

PRESCRIPTION PRE-PAYMENT CERTIFICATES

Prescription Pre-payment Certificates ( PPCs) can save money for people who require large quantities of medicine or regular prescriptions, but are not entitled to free prescriptions.

A PPC will save you money if you regularly need more than 1 prescription per month.

As a PPC holder you do not have to pay for individual prescriptions while your certificate remains valid. PPCs can be used to claim exemption from charges for medicines, dressings, medical appliances and elastic hosiery prescribed on the NHS and dispensed by community pharmacists, dispensing doctors and appliances suppliers.

You can obtain a PPC:

• Over the counter from an NHS community pharmacy or dispensing surgery.
• By post from your regional office of NHS National Services Scotland at the following addresses:
  For Ayrshire & Arran, Dumfries & Galloway, Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire and Western Isles write to:- Practitioner Services Division, Clifton House, Clifton Place, Glasgow, G3 7LN. Tel: 0141 300 1300.
  For Borders, Fife, Forth Valley and Lothian write to:- Practitioner Services Division, Stevenson House, 555 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh, EH11 3LG.
  Tel: 0131 537 8473.
  For Grampian, Highland, Orkney, Shetland and Tayside write to:- Practitioner Services Division, Bridge View, 1 North Esplanade West, Aberdeen, AB11 5QF.
  Tel: 01224 358400.

Duplicate PPCs

If you lose or damage your PPC while it is still valid, you can obtain a replacement from NHS National Services Scotland by writing to the office which serves the area where you live, giving your name, address and date of birth. While you are waiting for your replacement certificate, you will still be able to obtain your prescriptions free of charge.

PPC Refunds

In certain circumstances a full or partial refund may be available. Ask at your pharmacy or dispensing doctor's surgery for a Refund Application Form, which gives more information.

Full Refunds

You can claim a full refund if, during the first month of validity, the PPC holder became entitled to free prescriptions on grounds of:

• Age
• Medical Condition
• Maternity
• Low Income, or receipt of a benefit/tax credit which appears on the back of the prescription form; or
• Was admitted to hospital and remained there until the PPC expired.
• A full refund can also be claimed if during the first month of validity the PPC holder died or went into hospital and subsequently died there while the certificate was still valid.

Interpretation Services

If English is not your first language, we will provide a telephone interpreting service on all of the numbers shown in this leaflet. When you telephone tell us in English, or ask a friend to tell us, your preferred language and we will arrange for an interpreter.

This normally takes between 30 seconds and one minute.

Other special needs

This leaflet can also be made available by request on audio cassette, on disk and in large print.

All of the numbers on this leaflet offer typetalk for people who are hard of hearing. This is available Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.

NHS Helpline on 0800 224488 will be able to provide both these services.

This is not a definitive guide to the help available. For more detailed information go to the following website and use the search facility to access the booklet HCS 1, "Are you entitled to help with health costs?":

www.show.scot.nhs.uk

Alternatively contact:

Tel: 0131 244 2597.