p!"$%ed off at doctors

[claudia24]

well i went to the doctor for my tablets iron etc.... and ive been given KETOVITE LIQUID 150 ml, its a mulitivitam, 1 spoon a day, and on his screen it came up ketovite liquid 150ml = £2.70, i was like WTF, he dint know i read it but it was obvious and i was standing up lookin at the screen, so i said, how much is it and he replied £7 per item, so i went why is it 7quid when it said on the screen £2.70, well he dint have a answer.

also the iron tablets i have ferrous fumarate 210mg, 60 tablets, will cost me £1.84 at superdrug, the guy behind the chemist said next time i can buy them instead of paying the £7 its meant to be.

i think its completly wrong how the charge us double/triple.

sorry just havin a rant.

 

[gemmas85]

yeah it is unfair and they should charge even nearer the price but some people's medication is over £100 a time and they still only pay £7 unfortunately its just the way the nhs works

 

[phatmomma]

Maybe you should invest in one of those certificates that last the year?

Next time you go the chemist ask what you can buy over the counter, you don't have to have what's on your script if its cheaper to buy x

 

[SOON SLIM SUE]

good thread. i would never have thought about buying them over the counter.i will look into it myself.

 

[StephieAck]

Im sorry that you are so frustrated honey xx
Im lucky, I get free prescriptions because I have underactive thyroid and also diabetes, so I dont really have these issues, but that must be incredibly annoying.
Huge hugs xx
Steph xx

 

[lamornamiss]

Any good pharmacy should tell you if its cheaper over the counter.
I would complain.
I'm sure the pharmacy has to tell you if its cheaper to buy over the counter.
I will try and find out

 

[gaelic girl]

We are a bit more fortunate up here our prescriptions are only £4 but i use a pre payment certificate and yes i agree any good pharmacist should tell you if it's cheaper over the counter x

 

[Mazza]

I agree too, my doctor never mind the pharmacist always tells me if you can buy the items cheaper over the counter.

 

[lamornamiss]

Just found this

Cheap Prescriptions & Medicine: Tricks to slash the cost...

Over the counter can be cheaper

Some commonly prescribed medications, including painkillers, allergy tablets and dermatology creams, are also available over the counter without prescription. Often it's much cheaper just to buy them this way, rather than paying the £7.20 flat prescription charge.
Some pharmacies, including all Boots stores, have policies to always tell you if you're better off doing it this way.

 

[cah-ching]

My doctor and pharmacist (I tend to use Boots) tends to tell me if it's cheaper over the counter. You should enquire if it hasn't been suggested.

I'm sorry you've had to pay but as someone quite rightly said thats just the way the NHS works i.e. you weren't expected to fork out £10,000 for your operation were you? So while I understand your rant ... please make sure you do your homework and also think about the positives.

 

[lamornamiss]

We are a bit more fortunate up here our prescriptions are only £4 but i use a pre payment certificate and yes i agree any good pharmacist should tell you if it's cheaper over the counter x

Yes and it looks like the prices are going down in Scotland and Ireland in April
But up in England :cry:

 

[claudia24]

my chemist does tell me if it cheaper to buy over the counter, (my doctor doesnt as everytime i go there its just get u in and out asap, and always a different doctor, mainly just locums) which is nice of them and yes i know im very lucky i dint have to pay for my op, which i will always be grateful about xx

 

[phatmomma]

I'm sorry you've had to pay but as someone quite rightly said thats just the way the NHS works i.e. you weren't expected to fork out £10,000 for your operation were you? So while I understand your rant ... please make sure you do your homework and also think about the positives.

Lol Cah-ching, i'm just imagining me walking up to my surgeon, prescription in hand! "I've got this prescription for a gastric bypass, is it cheaper to buy it over the counter or pay the £7?"

Imagine his face, but would be so much fun to do lol lol xx

ps, remember the pharmacy is there to make money, grr money grabbers lol x

 

[cah-ching]

The pharmacy doesn't make money on prescriptions. They make money on the over the counter stuff. The cost of prescriptions is set by Government not by the pharmacist, so they aren't money grabbing so and so's. Even if they are making vast profits on over the counter stuff they are entitled .. and we as consumers are entitled to vote with our custom.

You can't just pick and choose which drugs you want to pay for at cost and which you don't - the NHS is a socialist construct and prescription charges are an egalitarian system based on said construct .... and we've all at one time or another benefitted handsomely (and sometimes lost) from such a system. I'm sure the benefits more than outweigh the disbenefits.

As I said before ..... check first before you go and buy stuff on prescription as it is sometimes available over the counter .... vitamins and minerals being the a very very obvious one.

All I was merely pointing at is that one should check first - there's nothing worse than kicking yourself afterwards. HOWEVER the positive side to this is that had the original poster had not been lucky to qualify for the surgery on the NHS she'd be forking out for more than just vitamins and minerals. I'm not being bitter I'm just thinking that sometimes situations can be frustrating but one should count one's blessings ... £10,000 is a lot of money to find - 1428 times more expensive than a £7 prescription.

Positives .... think positive folks.

 

[CCPM]

Just an additional explanatory note here the price seen on the doctors screen is the standard cost in the British National Formulary (BNF) Tarrif. Even if you buy over the counter that may not be th eprice you pay, it will be the price that the pharmacist bought it (which may be much cheaper) at plus VAT, plus container costs plus their profit margin. The costs that show on a GP's screen are the ones that the prescription pricing authority pays the person dispensing the item and so is the charge the government pays fpr the drug plus the add ons. Its there to inform the GP so that he can make the most cost effective decision when prescribing as branded drugs can differ wildly in price. The GP has a responsibility to do that. Unless he is a dispensing doctor he receives no income from prescription charges. Some GPs will keep a close eye on these costs and will often tell patients if its cheaper to buy it. However if you ask for a drug prescribing be aware that while cheaper many cannot be bought without a prescription form and in that case the charge is due. If a chemist sees a script and does not charge you the fee they are breaking the law if they then present the prescription for payment, the script should be destroyed.

M