Leeds woman who miscarried fined for claiming free prescription

Sadie Hawkes said she was shown "no sympathy whatsoever" by an NHS call handler

A woman who suffered a miscarriage was fined by the NHS for claiming a free prescription while she was pregnant.

Sadie Hawkes, 33, of Ilkley in West Yorkshire, was told by a pharmacist she would not be charged for allergy pills but lost her baby before seeing a midwife to obtain proof of exemption.

She later received a demand from the NHS for £56.10.

The Department for Health said "patients are responsible" for correctly declaring an exemption.

Ms Hawkes miscarried in November last year, two months after she and her partner Luke Crabtree learned they were expecting their first child.

The veterinary nurse said: "It was devastating and I was probably in a bit of shock at first. It wasn't until a few months later that it all started to sink in what happened."

'Absolutely disgusting'

Four months later, she received a letter from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) ordering her to provide proof of pregnancy or pay a £46.75 fine plus the £9.35 prescription charge for allergy pills she had been issued days before the miscarriage.

The penalty notice also warned she would be fined an additional £100 if she did not pay within 28 days.

Ms Hawkes said: "Understandably I was a bit upset. I rang up the number on the letter straight away and thought I'll just tell them what happened, I've had a miscarriage - surely they'll just wipe the fine."

But she said the NHS call handler "had no sympathy whatsoever" and told Ms Hawkes she would have to obtain medical notes from her doctor and would still have to pay the prescription charge.

"I think it's absolutely disgusting," she said. "Nobody deserves to be spoken to like that."

Sadie Hawkes and Luke Crabtree had been expecting their first child

Under current NHS rules, maternity exemption certificates - which entitle women to free prescriptions while pregnant and a year after giving birth - are automatically backdated for a month after the pregnancy is registered.

But Ms Hawkes said the rules should be changed so the certificates are backdated to the start of pregnancy, and is promoting a petition calling for the issue to be debated in parliament.

She said obtaining the exemption certificate was "the last thing on my mind" after the miscarriage and "would be for any woman".

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Ms Hawkes said she had since learned many other women, including friends and family, had also been fined after miscarrying.

"The law needs to change," she added. "This will cut out a lot of these fines and avoid people being in this situation."

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it recognised the stress of unexpected charges but said it had no plans to change the rules.

A spokesperson added: "Patients are responsible for ensuring they are claiming an entitlement to which they are eligible, and making a correct declaration on their prescription form."