A bitter pill to swallow for the English.

Post by **Wee Jimmy** » April 2, 2011, 6:52 am

From today, only the English have to pay for prescriptions (and no, that's not an April Fool's joke!)
Scottish patients can collect free prescriptions from today – leaving England as the only country in the UK still charging for them.
English patients will be charged £7.40 for every item prescribed by a doctor – an increase of 20p – but Scotland today joins Wales and Northern Ireland in abolishing the charges.
The move means that English patients are effectively subsiding free drugs for those living elsewhere in the UK.
Paying up: People in England will now face a 20p increase in the price of prescriptions - while the rest of the UK will get them free
Doctors and charities claim the charges are ‘absurd’ and could potentially cost lives as poorer people may be discouraged from getting vital drugs.
It is also further evidence of a medical apartheid in Britain which sees patients in the devolved nations benefiting from higher spending on healthcare per head, even though they pay less tax.

More...
• Four out of 10 diabetic hospital patients 'victims of medication errors'
• Average British adult is so unhealthy 'they are left wheezing from walking up the stairs'
The elderly in Scotland are entitled to a weekly allowance to go towards care home costs or other services while those in England are forced to pay, unless they have assets totalling less than £23,000.
Confusing: BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum said that the Government should abolish charges and that many of the exemptions were unfair
Scottish pensioners also receive free eye tests while those in England pay £19 a time.
Ministers claim that it is not possible for England to abolish the charges because it would leave the NHS with debts of £450million a year.
But Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association Council, said: ‘The Government should not be increasing prescription charges; it should be following the lead set by the three other nations in the UK and making plans to abolish them.
‘The bureaucracy needed to administer prescription charges is cumbersome, many of the exemptions are confusing and unfair.
'Patients with disabling long-term conditions still have to pay them despite a recent report recommending they be phased out.
‘Most importantly, the principle of charging for prescriptions runs counter to the founding principle of an NHS that is free at the point of use.’
Neil Churchill, chief executive of Asthma UK, said: ‘Scotland’s decision makes the rise in prescription charges for people in England a bitter pill to swallow.

Post by **harmonyudon** » April 2, 2011, 7:20 am

Not so bad....In TH its 100% you have to pay the pharmacist, checkbin please

:-"

Post by **Wee Jimmy** » April 2, 2011, 7:27 am

Prescriptions should be free in England also; afterall we are all UK citizens.

Post by **BobHelm** » April 2, 2011, 7:42 am

Agree 100% Jimmy.
In fact I think England should have a Parliament of its own as well. Probably centred around the Midlands area, Birmingham, Wolverhampton sort of way.
The thing that they have in Westminster can then be disbanded (saving Millions) as they are only interested in what is happening in London & have no idea what the rest of the country is like.
With the European Parliament sat above the 'regional ones there is absolutely no need for a Westminster Parliament any more. It serves only the needs of those sat in it - as this prescription charge situation indicates!!

Post by **MALC** » April 2, 2011, 11:55 am

only the english are stupid enough to allow it to happen.including my family. we need a middle east uprising but it wont happen

Post by **BillaRickaDickay** » April 2, 2011, 2:39 pm

So, me, born in Essex, if I moved to Scotland, would I be entitled to all of these handouts enjoyed by the Scottish elderly? maybe thats the future for the poor oppressed English OAP's. Summer in Scotland, Thailand in the Winter. Whats the immigrant situation up there? do you have Poles, Kosovans, Rumanians, Somali's, Nigerian's, Turks etc up there?

Post by **Wee Jimmy** » April 2, 2011, 2:54 pm

Sad it is, we have all those and I would presume more to follow after this news. It even turns my stomach more when I see what benefits (Pensions etc) we are losing to give to them. I have lost out on my marriage allowance and pension updates because of these people. People wonder why we are bitter about it all.

Post by **MALC** » April 2, 2011, 4:15 pm

my mate moved to north wales 2 yrs ago yes he gets the same as the welsh

Post by **vlad** » April 3, 2011, 12:01 am

The government have another trick to pull soon, all disabled people in a house or apartment that has more than 2 bedrooms are going to be made to give up there home for a family that needs a bigger home ie immigrants. There reason, if your disabled you only need an apartment or house with 1 bedroom.

Post by **sissor-mouth** » April 5, 2011, 12:26 am

harmonyudon wrote:Not so bad....In TH its 100% you have to pay the pharmacist, checkbin please :-"

hi there harmony what you don't understand when we eventually get round to seeing the GP (doctor) we have to pay for the prescription fee of £7 plus only to be given useless antibiotics for the medical condition told to go away and hope we don't die in the process another week later if still alive another £7 prescription fee more useless medication this circle is repeated till we become seriously ill or dead
at least in thailand a clinic is not scared to give the correct medication for the problem i'd rather pay and still be alive cheers $\:D/$