Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

I wish to know how many people have had to pay a penalty notice in relation to prepaid prescription certificates because the NHS stop taking the direct debit. I particularly want to know how many people who were paying their certificate via direct debit which was then cancelled by the NHS because the person was turning 60 in the following 12 months received a penalty notice. I would like to know for the period covering the last five years.

Your request was received on 21st July and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 

Response

We do not hold the information requested.
When a prescription is received which has been signed as the patient being exempt from prescription charges a data matching exercise is instigated. If no valid exemption is found through this search / exercise for that patient an enquiry letter is issued to the patient which invites them to contact us to confirm the exemption, they have in place. 

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

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-01330

Data Queries 

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data please contact dataandinsightsupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk / foidata@nhsbsa.nhs.uk / foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at:  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement:  “NHSBSA Copyright 2023” This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence: 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence. 

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated.  Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.