PCT prescription cuts for coeliac because of very high delivery charges

Are the spread in prescription cuts affecting anyone one here? and how do you feel about the delivery charges to the NHS for prescription items. It seems to be the beginning of the end to fresh bread on prescription. Which's probably the most important item to many coeliac.

There have been 2 items in the news one in the Daily Mail claiming that a packet of pasta cost the NHS £50 with delievery and another on the radio so here's a link to both:

The radio program is just over 10mins long and the link is to the appropriate chapter so have the sound on when you go to the link.

bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0124p...

This is the Daily ail article:

dailymail.co.uk/news/articl...

This affects all of us in the UK whether we get prescriptions or because we are tax payers.

Jerry

[FionaGFG Administrator]

Good blog Jerry. We had very mixed responses to these on our facebook page. It seems certain prescription suppliers & middle men companies charge the NHS the earth. Maybe we need a new system? Would tax relief for coeliacs as per Ireland and USA be better?

[Hidden]

Thanks Fiona, this is a subject that seems to polarise coeliac for obvious personal reasons.

I think that one big problem is that pharmacy suppliers are not really geared up for food delivery like Tesco's etc so they use small vans desighned for meds. My son had a summer job delivering to pharmacies and he told me that he carried special med's with gf food in a small van that had an air conditioned load area, so this will push up the price of delivery.

The other thing that bothers me is the main gf food Co's are owned by Hero food group and they own Nutricia who also make Trrufee, Juvela, Dr Shcar, DS so they have a monpoly. Also 500g of codex wheat starch costs the NHS around £6.50 the same product under the brand name Semper also owned by Hero food group costs German coeliac under £2.00 over the counter. So this is what I question as its our NHS funded by our taxes. On another site a coeliac said how the delivery for their prescription was £11.00+ and the wholesaler also charged a handling fee of over £11.00. This is not fair on coeliac or the NHS as its coeliac who are suffering the consequences of the cuts.

[beckyf]

Suspect that tax relief or even a small cash allowance (means tested if they must) would be FAR more efficient. Food on prescription is just hassle - it takes 2 weeks to sort out each time (and that's if nothing goes wrong). Cost to the NHS is usually at least double what I would pay if ordering the same things online.

Perhaps this tax relief/money could also be extended to people who have other serious/life threatening food allergies?

[Hidden]

Its in todays Telegraph and the Sun.

telegraph.co.uk/health/heal...

thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/n...

[Irene Administrator]

There's also a small piece in the London free paper (Metro) today. I've commented on CUK page many times but no real response. When I tried to find out info from my local health authority they couldn't come up with figures. CUK can't even tell me how many people are diagnosed with CD in the UK each year. They say they are sure I'll understand this info isn't available because it's confidential!

Anyway another player in the gluten free prescription cash cow is the pharmacist who I understand can have individual charges. I've no issue with this. In fact I understand that they have some difficulty accommodating the large orders and finding storage space especially when people can be a bit slow picking them up.

[Irene Administrator]

PS I also think its interesting that Genius breads cost NHS same as shop price.

[Hidden]

Hi Irene, according to posts on here the pharmacist charges a £1.00 handling fee, There is someone on here user name MSG who has got the facts and figures and the full list of gf items prscribed with costs.

On here the uproar about the cuts is overwhelmed by the ones who want to keep the status quo, those of us who do say there are alternatives are very much the minority.

Jerry