Information for People with Cancer About Getting Free NHS Prescriptions

Transcription

1 Information for People with Cancer About Getting Free NHS Prescriptions Patient Information

2 I have cancer can I get free NHS prescriptions? You can get free NHS prescriptions from 1 st April 2009 if you are: Undergoing treatment for cancer. Experiencing the effects of cancer. Experiencing the effects of treatment for cancer and You are entitled to treatment on the NHS. This leaflet explains how to get them. What do I need to do? Ask your GP for an application form (FP92A). Fill in the form and ask your GP to sign it or your surgery to add its stamp. Send the completed form to the address given on the form. You will then be sent a card (also called an exemption certificate, see example below) which you should show to the chemist when you get a prescription dispensed. How long does it take to get the exemption certificate? Once your application is received, your exemption card should be issued within 7 to 10 days. When I ve got my card, how do I use it? Just show your card at the chemist when you collect a prescription. You will then not have to pay prescription charges. 1

3 How long does the card last? The card is valid for five years. It entitles you to all your NHS prescriptions free of charge, not just those relating to your cancer. After five years the card may be renewed. What if I am currently paying for prescriptions? If you card has not arrived and you are paying for prescriptions, in order to get a refund for these prescriptions, you need to: Ask for an NHS receipt (FP57), the next time you pay for a prescription. This receipt will also include a refund claim form. Fill in the refund claim form. Take the FP57 receipts with the completed refund claim form and your exemption card (when you receive it) to any chemist and they will provide you with a refund. Prescription charges that you have paid and have FP57 receipts will be refunded to the date shown on your exemption certificate. I already receive free prescriptions Do I need an exemption card? People who are already exempt from prescription charges do not need to apply for an exemption card. I have already paid for a pre-payment card Can I get a refund? You are entitled to a refund for your pre-payment card. On the back of your pre-payment card there is an address to return it to when you have received your exemption card. You should send a covering letter and the original pre-payment card explaining that you are now medically exempt from paying for prescriptions and that you would like to claim a refund. Need more information? Ring the Help with Health Costs helpline on (Monday to Friday: 8am - 6pm, Saturday: 9am - 3pm). Your local Macmillan Benefits Team on (Monday to Friday: 10am - 1:30pm). Contact your local cancer information and support centre, details can be found on the next page 2

4 Local support groups Please visit on our website for details of local support groups: Local sources of further information You can visit any of the health/cancer information centres listed below: Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust Health Information Centre Birmingham Women's Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Metchley Park Road Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TG Telephone: Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust Health Information Centre Birmingham Heartlands Hospital Bordesley Green Birmingham B9 5SS Telephone: Cancer Information and Support Centre Good Hope Hospital Rectory Road Sutton Coldfield B75 7RR Telephone: Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust The Courtyard Centre Sandwell General Hospital (Main Reception) Lyndon West Bromwich B71 4HJ Telephone: Fax: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust The Patrick Room Cancer Centre Queen Elizabeth Hospital Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TH Telephone: /39 3

5 Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Information and Support Services Walsall Palliative Care Centre Goscote Lane Walsall WS3 1SJ Telephone: About this information This guide is provided for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Every effort is taken to ensure that this information is accurate and consistent with current knowledge and practice at the time of publication. We are constantly striving to improve the quality of our information. If you have a suggestion about how this information can be improved, please contact us via our website: This information was produced by Pan Birmingham Cancer Network and was adapted from a leaflet developed by Candy Stokes, Macmillan Information and Support Manager at Beechwood Cancer Care. We acknowledge the support of Macmillan in producing this information. Pan Birmingham Cancer Network 2012 Publication Date: November 2012 Review Date: November

6 Patient Charter Every cancer patient within the Pan Birmingham Cancer Network should receive the following standard of care. You should be treated with dignity and respect. You should be offered the opportunity of a written copy of the letter sent to your GP. This is also known as a permanent record. This should include a written summary of your consultations at which your diagnosis, treatment options and follow up arrangements are discussed. You should be allocated a key worker either at diagnosis or as soon after diagnosis. Your key worker can be your Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), or a Macmillan Nurse. This person is responsible for taking a lead role in coordinating your care and continuity of care. You should be given your key workers name and telephone number. You should be offered the opportunity to discuss your treatment with a member of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) at every step of your journey. An MDT is a group of doctors and other health professionals with expertise in a specific cancer, who together discuss and manage an individual patient s care. They plan the treatment that s best for you.1) You should have the opportunity to discuss with your key worker your feelings, emotions, any physical symptoms, your information needs, your carer needs and any other concerns you might have as a result of your cancer. Any concerns raised by you should be addressed in a timely manner. Your key worker should address your concerns or direct you onto the appropriate organisation that can help. You should be offered information on benefits and how to obtain financial advice. If you are receiving chemotherapy you should be made aware of what to do in the event of developing a complication. This includes knowing which hospital you should go to and how to contact the relevant department including during out of working hours. If you are receiving radiotherapy you should receive information, in addition to any general consent form, on both the immediate and 5

7 long term side effects of radiotherapy treatment and about radiotherapy in general. You should be offered written information about your type of cancer. You should be offered written information about your treatment. You should be treated within NHS target timeframes. They are; Two weeks from your GP referring you to having an appointment with a consultant. 31 days from referral to receiving a diagnosis. 62 days from referral to treatment beginning. If you are not happy with the service you receive or feel you have not received the above; you have the right to have any complaint about the NHS service you ve received dealt with efficiently either through your key worker or through the PALS service. 1) 6