Hi, Just thought id share, If you get tax credits and have a prescription charge examption card/certificate you can get stuff like calpol, paracetamol, bonjela, all sorts, for free. basically, i asked the pharmacy if they do it, and she said yes, what was the problem, so i told her about my manky tongue and they gave me some bonjela, dont think it was quite the right treatment, but if for example your baby is teething, you can take them there and they will give you a form to fill out, ask for your card, and then give you it free. she said you cant just go there to stock up, but if you have a headache for example, they will give you paracetamol.

Yes it's really really good, I got a bottle of gaviscon a week throughout pregnancy - saved me an absolute fortune!

I now have a medical exemption card for a long term condition so I can continue to benefit from this scheme.

Basically the pharmacist has a list of ailments in a book and then under it a list of things they can give you for it, so if your thing is on the list then you're away. Sometimes they have to recommend to see the GP instead - like I had a sore throat too many times too close together once, but it is a great scheme.

Not sure if it's available all over the country yet? I asked in Manchester a wee while ago and they had no idea what I was on about. But I think you have to live in the area where you're asking for it otherwise it's not funded anyway - that's why they ask for who your GP is.

yeah its great, i got loads of gaviscon, folic acid and things like metanium for elijah - all babies are entitled to it but you can only be registered for the service at one chemist at a time. it's great though and well worth registering.

We don't any wtc or ctc, would we still be able to register the kids?
It'd be great if we could because I'm always buy medicine for them.

Yup pen its on the same principal as free prescriptions so all under 16's get it free.

I get calpol (well fake calpol - medicnol I think its called) all the time for Caitlin. You just have to say she teething or slight temp/cold and they give it to you.

yeah, under 16s, if you get incomesupport etc, basically if you/ your children don't pay prescriptions, you can use the scheme.

its free here anyway to anyone!

Is it the same as a maternity exemption card? could you do it if youve got one of those?
x

yeah you can use your exemption card - once you are registered you won't need to show it normally, they just need to know why/how you are exempt from paying prescriptions i think

I dont understand - are you saying anyone with kids can get medicine for them for free cos they are under 16?

Or do you have to be getting wtc/IS or something?

It seems stupid if anyone can get it for free!

i think its a scheme to save gp's time - so stuff that you might want on prescription (all kids get free prescriptions don't they?) you can probably get for free without going to the doctor (i think it includes over the counter stuff/non prescription stuff but obviously not stuff like umm diazepam ).

this explains a bit:
Minor ailment services
Some pharmacies run a minor ailment service, which means that
they can supply medicines for certain specific conditions on the NHS.
It's up to local primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide whether pharmacies
in your area provide these services.
If your pharmacy runs a minor ailment service for eczema, for
example, it means that your pharmacist can supply medicines for this
condition, and you'll only pay the standard prescription charge. Or if
you're exempt from paying prescription charges, for example
because you're over 60, you won't pay for the medicine.
You can check if your pharmacy runs a minor ailment service by using our Service search.
Or simply ask at your local pharmacy.
i think it's a bit different in scotland/different areas but the general principle is the same

Its the exact same as going to your GP and getting a prescription for something minor - except you skip having to see your GP as the pharmacist assesses you! And then if you entitled to free prescriptions anyway (under 16, Income Support, Over 65 etc), they give you the item free. If its for yourself and you pay for prescriptions you can still use the service to get medicines - you just pay the standard prescription charge. (Which is free now in NI which is a joke imo!)

All your doing really is skipping out seeing the Dr. Free's up appointments for over stretched Drs and saves time for mummys too

u cant get all medication for free its only certain things such as calpol, teething gel, head lice treatment and things like that!!

you dont have to be recieving tax credits or income support - anyone can go into the chemist and asked to be signed up! it isnt called minor ailment here but for the life of me i cant remember what we call it!

although all prescriptions r now free where i am anyway!

Oh i remember Mari mentioning this to me a while back, i finally got my maternity exemption which i thought you had to have (but it seems not) so will go down the pharmacy soon to sort it out. I'm going through gaviscon like it's going out of fashion atm, deff need presciption.

My mum is a dispencer in a pharmacy they had to stop this i think because people were taking the mick like taking bag fulls at one time . Shes never mentioned it to me the amount ive paid for calpol nurofen bonjela n stuff x

The way the pharmacist explained it was that it is there to free up doctors appointments, the pharmacist can 'diagnose you' well.. advise you, and if she thinks your suffering from something on the list they give it to you- free if you are exempt from prescription charges ( are under 16, recieve wtc/ctc etc) or for whateer the prescription charge is.