Thank you for your request for information about the following:

1. Of the 62,961 PCNs issued to pregnant women over the past year how many had to pay £50 PCN charge if they provided proof they were pregnant?

2. I want to see the minutes of all meetings between Michael Brodie and Steve Barclay's permanent secretary related to maternity exemption certificates. More specifically, I want to see the minutes of any discussions to "backdate" maternity exemption certificates for women who were unaware they needed to apply for a certificate.

Your request was received on 17th June, and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Response

Question 1:

62,961 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued between 1 January 2022 – 23 May 2023 where an exemption category of NHS maternity exemption certificate was claimed but not confirmed. For clarity this figure does not confirm how many of the PCNs were issued to pregnant women. This information is not held. Regulations state that the prescription charge can’t be removed; however, if someone can demonstrate that they were pregnant when they were sent an enquiry letter or PCN, we can remove the penalty charge. The penalty charge is five times the original amount owed, up to a maximum of £100.

Patients who are pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months need a maternity exemption certificate before they are entitled to free NHS prescriptions. DHSC regulations state that certificates can be backdated by one month.

Question 2: This information is not held.

Please note that this request and our response is published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:

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