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<p>Between September 2014 and April 2017 (latest figures), a total of 1,785,895 penalty
charge notices (PCNs) were issued to patients declaring they were entitled to free
National Health Service prescriptions but their exemption could not be validated.</p><p>
</p><p>A patient is issued a penalty charge notices when the NHS Business Services
Authority exemption checker does not find a valid exemption entitling that patient
to free prescriptions. This includes patients that did hold a valid exemption but
failed to renew.</p><p> </p><p>During the same period, a total of 90,525 PCNs were
issued for unconfirmed medical exemption certificates. A new process was introduced
in spring 2015 whereby someone can submit a valid application for a medical or maternity
exemption certificate within 60 days from date of the penalty charge notice, the outstanding
penalty charge is cancelled but the prescription charge is still recovered.</p>
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