The Minster Practice, Lichfield

NHS Charges

Prescription charges

£6.65 for each drug or appliance from 1st April 2006. Items in combination packs may incur more than one charge for the pack.

Prepayment Certificate £34.65 for 4 months £95.30 for 12 months

If you have to pay prescription charges (see below for details of leaflets about free prescriptions etc) and need more than 5 items in 4 months or 14 items in 12 months, you could save money by buying a Prescription Pre-payment Certificate (PPC). Certificates are available for 4 months or 12 months and can be obtained by telephone if you have a credit or debit card on 0845 850 0030 or via the web at www.ppa.org.uk .
Once you have ordered a PPC you just tick box F on the back of the prescription "has a current pre-payment certificate". If you have your PPC (a plastic card the size of a credit card) with you, show it to the pharmacist when you present your prescription for dispensing. You do not have to show it but, if you do so, you will not form part of the random checks against fraudulent claims.
The cost of the PPC usually increases on 1st April. To check the cost ring the same number 0845 850 0030.

NHS Dental treatment

From April 2006, charges are as follows if you can't get help with costs (see HC11 below).

	Examination, diagnosis, preventive care including x-rays and scale and polish £15.50
	As above plus additional treatments such as one or more fillings, root canal treatments and extractions £42.40
	The above 2 plus more complex procedures such as one or more crowns, dentures or bridges £189

If a patient needs more treatment at the same charging level within 2 months, this will be free of charge.

Repairs to dentures are free but accidental damage (or loss) will cost £56.70 to replace them.

Penalty Charges

These were introduced by the Government from 1st December 2000 as part of the drive against NHS fraud. The penalty is payable where individuals wrongly fail to pay NHS charges or wrongly claim benefit towards such charges. The penalty is 5 times the fraudulent claim (up to £100) plus the unpaid health cost. This is a civil penalty but the right to pursue criminal proceedings for fraud is also covered by the 1999 Health Act.

Help with Health Service Costs

Information about eligibility for help with NHS costs can be obtained via the NHS Charges advice line on 0800 91 77 711. The following list shows the titles of some of the leaflets available from us. Versions of many leaflets are available in other languages including Bengali, Chinese, Greek, Gujerati, Punjabi, Somali, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese - contact the advice line for these.

You can speak to a Health Costs adviser on 0845 850 1166 if you have any queries about charges.

Are you entitled to Help with Health Costs? (HC11)
Use the search facility to search for the current location of HC11 at www.dh.gov.uk if it is not at www.dh.gov.uk/helpwithhealthcosts

How to claim Free prescriptions (HC81)

Help with the cost of NHS dental charges - how to claim (HC81D)

The new Penalty Charge explained (HC81Pen)

Travel costs to NHS hospitals

If you are on a low income, you may be entitled to reimbursement of necessary costs of travel to receive
NHS treatment under the care of a hospital consultant.

You can get help with necessary cost of travel to receive NHS treatment under the care of a consultant if you:

	are a war pensioner and the treatment is for your accepted disablement
	are getting, or your partner gets (and includes travel by your dependent children): – Income Support – Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (Incapacity Benefit or Disability Living Allowance do not count as they are not income related) – Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
	are entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate
	are named on a valid HC2 certificate.

Partial help: if you are named on a valid HC3 certificate you might get some help.

You MUST travel by the cheapest means of transport which it is reasonable for you to use. It is unlikely that taxi costs will be reimbursed.

If, in the opinion of your consultant, you need someone to travel with you, your companion’s travel costs are added to your travel costs and it’s your income that counts in deciding entitlement.

If you receive NHS treatment under the care of a consultant, usually the NHS hospital will give you your refund when you go for treatment - ask the outpatient sister for directions to the office handling travel costs. If this is not possible, ask the hospital for an HC5 refund claim form – the form tells you what to do. If you receive NHS treatment under the care of a consultant other than at an NHS hospital, ask for form HC5 when you go for treatment.

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Homepage last modified: August 25, 2008.