Patients
claiming exemption on age grounds
Following amendments to the NHS Charges Regulations, from
there will no longer be a requirement for certain age
exempt patients to complete the exemption declaration
on the back of the prescription form. This change only
applies to prescriptions dispensed in England and will
apply from 1st April 2005. This
relaxation of the requirements applies only to patients
whose date of birth or age is computer generated on
either a paper prescription form or appears as part
of an electronic prescription message (ETP). The relaxation
also applies to repeat prescriptions where the patients
date of birth or age is computer generated.
Those
patients claiming exemption on age grounds, but whose
date of birth or age is handwritten will have to continue
to make a signed declaration.
Previously,
as a temporary measure, the PPA would not switch age
exempt prescriptions submitted as Group 1 where the
declaration was not completed but a computer generated
age or date of birth was printed. The changes to the
NHS Charges Regulations mean that this temporary arrangement
will now continue permanently.
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