Incorrectly claiming prescription charges - how to rectify?

Asking this question in case anybody else has come across a similar issue.

Client was receiving irESA before a change in circs removes entitlement to means tested benefit, though a cbESA award continues.

Since this date client has been ticking prescription certificates to say they are in receipt of a means tested benefit.

Client realises their error and wants to rectify by paying what they owe. Any ideas?

I can find plenty of information about claiming refunds + have advised client to apply for prepayment certificate. Client particularly distressed about their error and wants to pay in full. Anybody have any other thoughts?

Wouldn’t it be best to await outcome of application under low cost scheme? If that means they are still entitled to free prescriptions, then there isn’t a problem anyway.

Current capital prevents low income scheme from applying unfortunately.

Sorry, i misread the prepayment application to be a low income application, my mistake.

There are a range of helplines available, maybe try one of these?

NHS Low Income Scheme helpline – 0300 330 1343

Prescription services helpline – 0300 330 1349

Get help with prescription costs see Important numbers section at the bottom.

I’m not sure there is a way of doing it.

It’s possible the NHS may pick up on one of the incorrect declarations during one of their spot checks but failing that I think I’d be encouraging the client to make a donation to a health-related charity or similar to ease their conscience.

I think I’d be talking to the NHS about it rather than making a charitable donation. I had a client in a not dissimilar scenario about 5 years ago. Fair old sum too given their meds. They realised the error and contacted the NHS without my involvement. There was talk of prosecution and all sorts until the full facts came out. Was in my local pharmacy this past weekend and party to a similar conversation about a patient who had come up as part of a spot check. The pharmacy appeared to have landed in bother or at least be under suspicion but it sounded like a genuine error. Again though, punter was threatened with prosecution if they didn’t pay up asap.

For some reason we’ve had a spate of clients who have incurred penalty charges as a result of wrongly claiming NHS fee remission.  They mostly involved clients receiving ESA(CB) but no income related top-up, and the majority were for dental charges.  The penalty charge can be hefty: five times the true cost up to a maximum of £100 for each occasion a false declaration is made.  Failure to pay incurs a further £50 surcharge.

In several cases a letter explaining that they would have qualified on low income grounds, had they claimed this, has resulted in a write-off.

However, I’m with Mike.  I would advise the client to write and explain their error, before the NHS Counter fraud team contacts them.

Do let us know what the response is.

This is still a problem ........................................

The prescription slips in Skelmersdale (which is in West Lancashire) do not have the Universal Credit option to tick.

Sorry, I posted in the wrong thread.