Be Excellent To Each Other

Been some Facebook posting about this and some excitement among parents.

Basically they the scheme would allow free stuff for kids like Calpol from the chemist. They would offer stuff like this on prescription and then as kids under 16 don't pay for that it would be free.

The scheme is genuine but in most of the UK and my area the cost is met by Primary Care Trusts who have cut it. In my case it was cut 2 years ago

Its also a nightmare to get info, Chemists are largely clueless so I got my information from NHS 111

You may have it in your area of the UK but don't hold your breath!

Unless you really can't afford the medicine, you shouldn't be using the Minor Ailments service. It's not really meant to be for people who just "don't want to pay".

Its a ludicrous fucking idea. In a government of austerity, with aims of reducing purchases for products and reducing bureaucracy, we bring in a new policy to provide products to the entire subset of a population without any form of means testing that the market already provides effectively.

Calpol and paracetemol are used as examples, and they're the worst possible kind of examples. They aren't medicines to get you better, they are symptom relievers and disguisers. When Ben was diagnosed, the consultant said that we were lucky that one symptom was noted at A&E as Calpol disguises the rest - they get a lot of conditions, particularly Leukaemia that are diagnosed late due to Symptom suppression from Calpol - indeed we are not now allowed to use it as a result.

That said - if a decent pharmacist is actually going to examine you rather than just spitting out FREEDRUGZ then my argument might work against itself there, and it becomes a positive thing.

Barring genuine medical need i.e. lifelong illness or w/e, if you're buying paracetamol at the rate that you can't afford the £1.50 a bottle (tesco own brand, half the price of calpol) I can't help but feel you have bigger issues than where you can get it free.

AFAIK it's not a new policy, just little heard of until Facebook got hold of it.

I'm still outraged.

I'm not disagreeing with your outrage. You rage away.

I'm fairly sure the scheme existed when Boots used to be our client back in 2012.

This isn't new, of course. The people who are able to take advantage of this are those who already qualify for free prescriptions. And could get exactly the same things on those prescriptions. And free prescriptions aren't means-tested, rich people's kids get free prescriptions and rich people with chronic illnesses get free prescriptions. As do rich Scots. Does this make it more convenient to make use of the policy? Yes, and that's potentially a bad thing for those inclined to abuse it.



They're used as examples not by the minor injuries service, I don't believe - they're used as examples by people touting this publically. And yes - other than for those utterly on the breadline, they're awful examples, both financially and medically.

This shouldn't be viewed as a way to get cheap medicine if you have kids. It should be viewed as a way for people who need to constantly spend a lot of money on OTC medication - think those with lowered immune systems, diabetics, people coming out of chemotherapy - to cut down on the often sky hill pharmacy bills that are attached to it. When my psoriasis is bad, it costs me a fortune - last time I was easily spending £40 a week on plasters, moisturisers, gloves etc. I don't qualify for free prescriptions, obviously, and don't particularly need to - but if I wasn't gainfully employed there's no way I could face down that cost for months at a time.

This was supposed to be a well thought out scheme, the idea was you could go to the chemist with "Minor Ailments" and they could sell\prescribe the medication saving Dr's visits

Looks like all it did was let people get free stuff for kids and PCT's have shut it down in most of the UK from what I can tell

Yes Boots where doing in my area before it was stopped 2 years ago, its been around for 8 years according to the NHS 111 lady I spoke to.