English holidaymakers obtaining free prescriptions in Wales through loophole
Emily Price
Concerns have been raised that English holidaymakers visiting Wales are taking advantage of a loophole that allows them to obtain free prescriptions.
A GP from north Wales contacted Nation.Cymru this week warning that this summer had seen a rise in the number of people who live outside of Wales contacting primary care requesting repeat prescriptions – usually claiming they have forgotten their regular medication at home.
The GP – who did not wish to be named – said: “There is a strong suspicion that people are doing this in order to avoid paying prescription charges, which they would have to do for their medication at their home address in England.”
The Welsh Government abolished prescription charges in Wales in 2007.
It came after individuals with chronic conditions reported cutting back on essentials like food and bills to afford their medication.
However, in England most working-age adults still have to pay for their NHS prescriptions.
The current cost is £9.90 per item – although certain groups are exempt and receive free prescriptions.
Increase
But our source told us English holidaymakers are able to access prescriptions for free via out of hours doctors in Wales or by temporarily registering with a GP in Wales.
They said: “We have all noticed an increase in the number of people either turning up at a GP practice or phoning the out of hours doctor in Wales saying they have forgotten all of their repeat medications, usually while they’re here on holiday.
“They ask for all of their medications – then we are being asked to prescribe for things that you wouldn’t normally be asked to prescribe in that situation – like routine things that they should have from their own GP.
“It often sort of happens in an odd way – a husband, wife and daughter would all have forgotten their medications at the same time.
“We have noticed as well that when someone phones the out of hours doctor for something like that it shows their previous consultations with out of hours GPs in Wales.
“Sometimes it will be the third time in 18 months that someone has asked for all of their repeat medication from the out of hours doctor.
“They always just say that they’ve forgotten them at home but it’s quite obvious that some people are doing it to avoid paying for their prescription in England.”
Data
The north Wales GP added: “We have also seen an increase in the number of people registering as a temporary patient just to get their normal medication while they are on holiday.
“It’s this year that I’ve really started to notice an increase in English patients doing this.
“I don’t remember anywhere near as many people phoning up for repeat prescriptions last summer.
“We used to get people phoning up if they were on an asthma inhaler and it had run out and they needed another one.
“We didn’t used to get people phoning up asking for their statins and their blood thinners and everything else.”
Nation.Cymru was also made aware of a pharmacy in Gower complaining of similar issues.
Our source suggested Wales’ tourism hotspots will be seeing more English patients trying to obtain prescriptions for free.
We asked the Welsh Government if the administration collates data on how many people obtain repeat prescriptions from England whilst in Wales temporarily.
We also asked if Welsh ministers had any concerns about the amount of English patients obtaining free prescriptions whilst on holiday in Wales.
Emergency
A spokesperson said visitors to Wales who require an emergency supply of their regular medication are advised to use the NHS Wales Emergency Medicines Supply service, available through participating community pharmacies in the first instance.
Holidaymakers are encouraged not to register as temporary patients solely for the purpose of obtaining repeat prescriptions.
Where ongoing medication is required, individuals should contact their usual GP practice, which may be able to issue a prescription remotely via the Electronic Prescription Service currently being implemented across Wales.
A spokesperson said: “We are proud that Wales was the first UK nation to introduce free prescriptions and see it as an investment in people’s long-term health.
“The NHS Wales Community Pharmacy Emergency Medicines Supply (EMS) service enables individuals visiting Wales to obtain a short-term supply of essential medicines without the need to register with a GP, ensuring continuity of care while away from home.
“Decisions on whether to issue medication rest with the GP or pharmacist, who will assess clinical need and provide only what is necessary to cover the immediate period, rather than a full repeat prescription.
“These arrangements are designed to ensure timely access to necessary treatment while maintaining the integrity of NHS services for both residents and visitors.”
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was invited to comment but did not respond.
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Why is Cymru not billing these folk? Fine, if they need medication whilst on holiday we should supply it, but if they are not residents of Cymru then they should pay up. I doubt if it would work the other way for residents of Cymru on holday in England.
When my wife and I had a holiday in England, we needed medication, we were expected to pay for it unless we proved we were over 60 years of age. We needed to show our passports with date of birth.
What’s the matter with England, why don’t they vote into office politicians from parties that have their interests at heart ?
We would have to pay for prescriptions
If reform get in they will probably axe free scripts anyway.
It’s almost certain that some of these p**stakers are Deform voters and if they get their way, everybody on this island will be paying £10 plus and rising per prescription.
Angen bilio’r tacla felly.
Not happy with stealing our coal, water, gold, copper etc. they are now stealing from the Welsh NHS too. The English have an old poem about the Cymry: “Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief, Taffy came to my house and stole a leg of beef.” Well, what the English steal and have stolen from Cymru what Taffy stole was nothing in comparison.
A poet not so long ago corrected all that with one of the lines
“Taffy was a Welshmam Taffy was a fool, Taffy just said No No No when they offered him Home Rule.
What happens when an American holidaymaker needs some urgent prescription medication? Seems to me pharmacies should be free to cover their extra costs with a £9.90 per item Non-resident Administrative Surcharge (NRAS).
Boots will charge the market price.
Totally agree it is not as if Cymru is indepted to Lloeger in any way shape or form we are our own masters.
Look at it the other way around, if we Welsh on holiday in Lloegr forgot our meds, we’d have to pay in Lloegr, so????
I did forget my message while in England and had to pay.
This needs to be clamped down on ASAP. Charge any one who is a non-resident.
Health tourism.
I had to get a prescription in Scotland. I went to a pharmacy and showed them by online account as proof and I was given the medication and charged for it. Why can’t they do that in Wales?
Have witnessed this myself while picking my regular prescription at my local surgery. You have to confirm your name and first line of address before they hand it to you. Woman in front of me in the queue gave the first line of address as a static in the local holiday park. No static caravans there with planning permission for all year residency. So they pay no council tax either.
English leeching off Cymru again
Let’s not forget that there isn’t a major hospital or 24hr A&E in Powys, hence a lot of people cross the border to access the English NHS every day. Likewise, the specialist hospitals in England regularly treat Welsh patients without presenting them with a bill. I suspect this costs a bit more than a few prescriptions for holidaymakers.
I’m not so sure about the cost as hardly anyone lives in Powys.
Apologies to Powys residents.
And of course English people never use our A&E. This is an entirely different matter where people are deliberately floating the different systems to avoid paying.
Yes, but that is an agreement between Cymru and Lloegr NHS. Cymru treat Saeson exactly the same. Actually there seems to be more Saeson than Cymry in our hospitals. The Cymry are not stealing from Lloegr but they are stealing from us. You can guarantee if there is a loophole the Saes will find it.
Personally, I can’t believe someone would want to spend summer holiday queuing several hours to register for a GP, book an appointment, wait for appointment, go to pharmacy and wait again – all to save, maybe £50 at most. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to be a bit more ambitious with my holiday plans!
There are cost reimbursements for this treatment – we don’t get this treatment for free! This is a long standing agreement (pre devolution) and enshrined in law because it’s not practical for places like Powys, even North Wales to have every type of specialty care. The same applies to English ICSs – if someone in say Cumbria needs heart surgery, they go to Newcastle. And a cost transfer occurs. The difference is these medications are being given without cost reimbursement to the NHS in Wales. Whilst the English are only charged £9.90 per item, some medicines can be 5 figures,… Read more »
Powys Health board will pick up the tab, likewise if you need an operation & they send you to a private hospital the health board pay the private hospital.
And the bar steward English government bankers rob Welsh pensioners
If someone comes to wales and ‘forgets’ their meds then let them go to a health centre or pharmacy and prove they need them then give them just enough to last for the time in wales. And perhaps make a nominal charge for the service. A few days without your statins aren’t going to make a lot of difference and if you’re on life threatening meds you are normally aware of how many you have and where they are. People should take responsibility for themselves.
Dw i’n byw yn lloegr ond dw i’n cymraeg. People from wales have an option of having medical procedures in England. Chwarae teg.
Don’t fret, once Reform run the Senedd we will fall in line with England and pay for prescriptions.