NHS Prescriptions: Universal Credit

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 20 December 2018 (HL12362), how they plan to ensure that Universal Credit claimants who meet the criteria for free prescriptions know that they should tick box ‘K’ for income-based jobseekers allowance.

A wide range of activity has been undertaken to publicise the workaround that eligible Universal Credit (UC) claimants should tick box ‘K’ for income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance until the FP10 prescription form is updated to include a new UC tick box. Information about this workaround has been made available on relevant websites including those for the NHS Business Services Authority, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the National Health Service website. This information has been shared with relevant professionals including Department for Work and Pensions work coaches and case managers, Citizens Advice advisers and pharmacists to enable them to support UC claimants with correctly completing the declaration on the back of the FP10 prescription form. Arrangements have also been made to ensure that if UC claimants accidentally tick the wrong box on the FP10 prescription form but can prove their eligibility for free NHS prescriptions, the NHS Business Services Authority is able to waive associated penalty charges upon being contacted.