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Letter from NHS Business Authority

mikeywic
mikeywic Community member Posts: 12 Listener
I have a letter from NHS Business Authority.
It states that: An Automated Check has shown that on 13 December 2018 I claimed Free Dental Treatment. This is Because your submitted claim said you get income-related Employment and support Allowance. As we have not been able to confirm that you were entitled to claim free NHS dental treatment at the time you have been sent this Penalty Notice
Dental Treatment Charges: 21.60
Penalty Charge: £100
Failure to pay on a set date results in a further "SURCHARGE" of £50.00
People come from all over the world to get Healthcare here Promise that they have the money to pay but do not pay after they have been discharged. The NHS is owed Billions of Pounds from wealthy people who come here and abuse our NHS
I made an error filling out a form at a time when I was so distressed I could not think clearly. Surely it would have made more sense to send me a Text asking me to Clarify and put right this error. I am on UC and I still have not been able to manage the Meagre funds I have and they want to come and take another 100 from me for an error that they could fix with a Text. I Love the NHS I think they are unmatched in the world. But they should not be abusing poor people. They should be chasing the Billions that these rich people owe them for treatment they received for Heart, Having their Babies here and all the other things that these people come here and do instead of trying to further make my life poorer. If I have to pay this fine I am going to be in deep dodo for a month and will have to borrow to make ends meet and then it will just continue like this. I am even looking for some type of work that I can do from home I am not afraid to work but my physical condition prevents me from making concrete plans because no 2 days are the same. So I am setting up the computer in the bedroom and testing Voice Tech to see if I can work from bed. If I manage to do this they can stick their UC where the sun does not shine

Comments

  • Dotty123
    Dotty123 Community member Posts: 492 Pioneering
    It’s disgusting how sick are getting treat we deserve better it needs changed and soon 
  • Zebra88
    Zebra88 Community member Posts: 55 Courageous
    They would say it's a deterrent unfortunately, just like benefit mistakes can land you with a £50 civil penalty for being "careless". Ill bet most people who get these and have to pay wouldn't make the mistake again therefore they can justify it. There should be a system in place for people who can't afford treatment costs but don't qualify for free. I had to leave my dentist appointments until I was off sick as couldn't afford them while working. Shocking. Also don't know of you know but DWP have a team who is/will be collecting medical costs from abroad on behalf of NHS - because their debt management team is very effective (I used to work for them). They make every attempt to recover the costs and in most cases people pay, if that makes you feel a bit better about the whole thing.
  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    For people on low incomes there is the low income scheme. You can apply for an HC2 certificate which will cover the costs of dental treatment, prescriptions and some other NHS services 
    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,519 Disability Gamechanger
    Did the dentist not check with you if you had to pay or were on benefits that would get you free treatment, our dentist checks with every time we go.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • mikeywic
    mikeywic Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    The more I read this notice the more I believe that they have no idea what they are doing because. The letter states "As we have not been able to confirm that you are entitled to claim free NHS dental Treatment at the time You have been sent this Penalty Notice" Which means to me that they are Guessing. When in Doubt or cannot prove otherwise Send the Notice. I am entitled but if I was not I would still challenge this because they did not do their work properly or they would know that I am severely Disabled, was diagnosed with cancer and put on that UC all in the same period of time. How on earth could they even KNOW what they are doing if they can not identify the basic information that is on their computer and has been there for at least 3 months before they sent me this stupid (Did not Bother to look into the facts) Letter. It makes you wonder no? Maybe they or whoever expected me and others like me to PANIC and run to ask someone to loan me £100 and pay it quickly before I end up having to pay £150. I am so disappointed. There was a time when someone would call you or they would send a letter and try to clarify before they start demanding money. Now it is all about how much they can squeeze out of you. And this is the case with all institutions. It makes me wonder if they are paying the people working there a Bonus for every case they get to pay up. Like Bounty Hunters:-)) Privatisation by STEALTH I wonder how many people were the recipient of this type of letter and how many paid up in FEAR?. Don't get me wrong if I did make such a silly error I would expect some come back. But The Dentist Checks the form and I have to sign it after she checks it, otherwise, they do not have to pay her. I don't know something is not correct.
  • mikeywic
    mikeywic Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    I wonder if I could issue a Penalty Notice on them for not checking the Facts?
    According to their Rules, I am entitled to this and other Medical Support by DEFAULT. They can make these kinds of mistakes and get away without ever having to apologize. I  dread to think what a letter like this could do to someone who is under greater stress than I am Under. Compassion, Empathy, and a little pride in what you do for a living has been beaten out of them one way or another I feel sad for them because when they are at work they are ROBOTIC. How do they behave when they go home? I do not believe it is possible to leave that type of work at work. It is surely testing on their mental Wellbeing. I am angry but I feel for them. Do you know that if you go to the job center and ask them to help you to access some service they are trained to give you a standard reply? "I have no idea about that you have to go online" They will not help you. We are supposed to help each other when we see another in need or distress. I can not believe that there are people who train them to ignore the distress of others. I am sad for them.
  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    It should be a case of sending you proof of entitlement to put an end to it.
    Yes you are right, this sort of thing should not happen, but no system is perfect 
    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • Dotty123
    Dotty123 Community member Posts: 492 Pioneering
    Awful they stop your money and housing worse there’s no help from them during esa stopping and appealing heartless they are disgrace to have them at all 
  • Zebra88
    Zebra88 Community member Posts: 55 Courageous
    The onus is on you to prove that you are entitled to free prescriptions. All they will do if you rick the wrong box is check that you get that specific benefit. If you were getting UC it may only for example include housing benefit or carers element which would not allow the prescriptions. How would they know? They probably use a system called CIS (Customer Information System) which is like a front page DWP can give access to Councils etc to use to check basic info. I know from using it UC info is not very helpful on there and all it would is start of the claim and payment amounts. I have had two penalty notices written off because I was under the earnings threshold and entitled to working tax credits. My entitlement was on the system wrong due to my earnings being higher than they should be and a simple phone call sorted it out. There's also an online form you can fill in. I understand what you mean but I don't think it's something to get angry over.

    I think one unfair issue is that we only pay for prescriptions in England but that's not really advertised anywhere.

    Unpopular opinion here but Civil Servants don't get any kind of bonus for making your day harder. They're just normal people, a cross section of society with the same mix of political and moral beliefs as anywhere in life. They are supposed to follow guidance and if they don't eventually it will be put right. I used to be so nice to everyone that it was picked up in my annual reviews and the wording was "most knowledgeable, respectable and kind person on the team". I was working while severely ill myself and all I would get all day is abuse. I had to say to someone 5 mins before I walked out for good that I would continue with the conversation as I wanted to help but if they spoke to any of my colleagues in that way they are within their rights to end t be call. I was called racist, ableist names. Someone wished I got cancer because they asked me the date a letter was sent out and they didn't believe what I told them. I had someone say to me that I would never understand what it's like to have a disability and they had arthritis in their foot and would never work again (while I was sat there in my power chair, dosed up on morphine, with my assistive software and a catheter). That's when I walked (wheeled) out. As well as being a terrible employer regards to adjustments, I realised that it's just not for the faint hearted. The people who had been there for years were jaded and defensive because they get abused all day. I agree they probably are like that outside of work because nice people can't stay due to people assuming the worst of them and making their day miserable over things they have no control over, and genuinely want to help with.
  • mikeywic
    mikeywic Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    The sad part is that they are working themselves out of a job because when this computer system proves to be effective there will be no need for them anymore because their jobs were crafted into a computer programme so some of them will either become unemployed and have to contend with the system that they helped to develop. They may have some inside knowledge, but some of them will suffer the same things that we are suffering now. I love technology and I use all of it. But there are some places where Tech should not be allowed to undermine Humanity. We need communication and the sense of knowing that when we speak to another human being, that person can empathize, feel concern, and understand. A computer doing this type of work Takes away the Need for Human Interaction. If I am not wrong the system was developed with a lie detector and can identify some verbal responses. This may sound far fetched. But when they call you or viz a viz They are obliged to tell you that the call is being recorded. So with the speed that technology moves, it should not be hard to believe that there is a lot of research and development taking place to perfect this system. In any year they have access to millions of Guinea Pigs. We used to have to sign a Declaration Now the Declaration is continuously being deleted and it is our voice and a Number (PIN) that is becoming the Norm. People who have been rejected for benefits even though it is painfully clear that they are entitled to the benefits are the victims of the bugs in the system. Anyway, This is how I see what is going on. I am not a "Conspiracy Theorist" I am saying that we as disabled people sleepwalk into this without realizing that we were being gently nudged into a position. 7 times out of 10 we do not have the energy to want to stand up and defend our corner and now even when we are at our worst we have to find the ENERGY to reach to places we would not think of going because the recovery period is long and depressing, distressing and just plain HARD. On top of this we now have to worry about RENT and if we will be able to pay for Energy to keep warm and a light burning, Council Tax, Maintain the mobile or the internet connection TV License, Toilet Paper Washing Powder,Kitchen soap, Ordering the shopping online and have to wait 24 Hours for delivery and because they pack it the night before You may as well go to the market if you can get there and pick up the scraps that the sellers throw away. I spend at least 1 week without Gas and Electric each month. Christmas Day I had No Gas no Electric and could not use my phone because I had no Credit. Thank **** we did not have another BEAST FROM THE EAST. There is not 1 country in Western Europe that has the number of Food Banks and Charities handing out food to people who can not afford to meet their food needs. This is one of the RICHEST Countries on this planet. We are used to giving Charity to others. But where is this money coming from who pays for all this Charity that is being doled out to us? Duncan Smith gave it all away when he thought he was being Charitable over the Xmas period.
    I wanted to write something positive reassuring and confidence building. But every time  I try I become bitter enraged and hateful
  • Benistmonk
    Benistmonk Community member Posts: 343 Pioneering
    The government created the food banks in line with their plan to leave people without money to live on. Along with the plan to pay drug addicts and alcoholics rent money, knowing full well those type of people will end up homeless because they can't manage money.

    The result is a lot of empty houses in the private sector being mined for scrap metal by people with no money to live on. Private landlords will not rent to people on benefits like UC any more because they know they won't get paid. The homeless then go on thieving sprees because they have nothing to lose. The punishment if caught might be a stay in a HMP hotel, no job search or sanctions regime to worry about, and you get 3 meals a day and a bed to sleep in, which beats the hell out of roughing it on the streets in this weather. 
  • Zebra88
    Zebra88 Community member Posts: 55 Courageous
    I don't know what kind of research they do but I do know as far as DWP there is no lie detector software. They still use Legacy which is like a dos screen and you have codes for screens you want to see. A working mouse was a rarity yo be honest.

    They do record all calls because a percentage of your calls are listened to, to make sure you are working properly and you get scored on this for performance (security checks, tone of voice, correct info etc). My performance was 99.9%. I lost 0.01% the week my manager was away and someone with extremely right wing views said I was too nice to the claimant. I looked up their pension age because they didn't have internet access, because I didn't work for the pension service I had done them a favour and acted wrongly in their eyes. My manager said this was rubbish but couldn't locate the specific call to redo. Couldn't make it up. Being too nice ?He was also the same person  who said people should pay back benefit overpayments rather than feed their pets and the DWP should have a pet euthanasia service for claimants... I'm not denying some people are just downright nasty, but willing to take 5 months paid sick leave and feel high and mighty because they're still employed. I'd say most nice people leave within 2 years because anyone with these opinions had been there over 20 years. 

    On the other side of the coin they record calls because people can be horrible or do things out of frustration. Bomb hoaxes were the norm. Threatening suicide and when you call and ambulance and the police they will say you made it up so you have to have proof, due to the serious nature of the threat it is always acted upon. I can understand why people say these things but to be on the receiving end when done maliciously is horrible. If someone says they will harm themselves the staff member has to hold a "help" card in the air and the call is immediately listened in on by a manager who is calling an ambulance. You are offered counselling for some calls. I had someone tell me if I didn't call UC on his behalf because it was online only, he would kill his children... He didn't have any children it turns out, and when the police turned up he was in the pub and laughed about it.

    Another thing is I have an Irish name and people would assume it was Asian and call me horrible racist xenophobic names despite me being white British and born in Lancashire. Just to be nasty.

    I know I could sleep at night any way as I always helped people. We also weren't allowed to contact universal credit by phone, only an online contact form. So I went out of my way to make friends with people in UC and establish contacts I could call upon and get back to people sooner than a 48hr wait. It is with much sadness that I haven't been treated the same way by anyone at DWP or my local council since becoming unemployed but I try not to take it personally.

    Hope you get this problem sorted!

Brightness