Patients in Leeds are being fined millions for falsely claiming free prescriptions.
Exclusive figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal patients across our city were slapped with £1.8 million worth of penalty charges for falsely claiming free medicine in 2018/19.
The total value of fines was issued across 19,159 penalty charges.
Most adult patients across England are required to pay for NHS prescriptions – currently charged at £9 per item – though some people are exempt from the charges.
The NHS Business Service Authority says that money collected from these prescriptions is a key source of NHS funding.
Every year, though, money is lost to people claiming free prescriptions they aren’t entitled to.
The NHS Business Services Authority carries out checks on patients claiming free prescriptions and issues penalty charge notices to those who weren’t actually eligible.
A person sent a penalty charge notice will be required to pay the original NHS prescription as well as an additional charge of five times the original amount owed – up to a maximum of £100.
The figures reveal, though, that as of this month £979,757.02 of the £1.8 million worth of fines issued to Leeds patients had not yet been recovered.
The data also shows that the number of fines being issued is on the rise.
There were 10,494 handed out in 2016/17 (worth £935,061) and 16,979 the following year (worth £1.6 million).
It means the number of penalty charges issued to Leeds patients nearly doubled in just two years.
Some patients are exempt from paying prescription charges, including pregnant women, those aged 60 and over, people on benefits, and those with specific medical conditions.
The situation in Leeds reflects a national trend.
Across England, a whopping £66.7 million worth of penalty charge notices were handed out in 2018/19 – across a total 134.5 million fines.
Both of those figures were the highest number since 2016/17.
Brendan Brown, Director of Citizen Services at the NHS Business Services Authority, said: “It is important that we protect NHS funds and make sure that those who claim exemption from prescription charges are correctly entitled to do so.
“As repeatedly highlighted by the NHS Counter Fraud Agency, millions of pounds each year continues to be lost through fraudulent and incorrect claims for free prescriptions.
“It is important that we help protect the NHS from loss through error or deliberate fraud. To ensure value for money for the taxpayer and to provide a consistent service across England, the checking process was centralised at the NHSBSA in 2014.
“The process formally sat with various regional staff working in isolation.
“Over recent years, the number of checks carried out has increased which has led to more penalty notices being issued.”
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