FOI-03885

Request   Please provide the following information.    For each of the last five financial years, the number of NHS Penalty Charge Notices issued where the exemption category claimed was Universal Credit.    The number of complaints received relating to Universal Credit prescription penalty charges.    Copies of any reports, reviews, evaluations or briefing papers produced since 1 January 2020 relating to incorrect prescription exemption claims by Universal Credit claimants, public understanding of NHS help with health costs eligibility for Universal Credit claimants, and measures to reduce incorrect claims and resulting penalty charges. Please also confirm whether NHSBSA has considered, proposed or discussed introducing additional warnings, prompts or notifications to help Universal Credit claimants understand when they are no longer eligible for free NHS prescriptions.    If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports, briefing papers or correspondence. Please also confirm whether NHSBSA has made any recommendations or representations to the Department for Work and Pensions regarding communications to Universal Credit claimants about NHS help with health costs eligibility and provide copies of any relevant correspondence.   The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 6 June 2026.  We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).  Our response   I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds some of the information you have requested and a copy of the information is attached.  Part one: For each of the last five financial years, the number of NHS Penalty Charge Notices issued where the exemption category claimed was Universal Credit.   I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information is attached.Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data.   When the Universal Credit entitlement criteria for free help with health costs were first introduced, cases were often closed without requesting evidence. This was because the criteria were new, and customers were instead informed and educated about the eligibility requirements. However, from 2022 onwards, customers were required to provide supporting evidence so that the NHSBSA could investigate and determine whether they were entitled to the benefit or not.   Part two: The number of complaints received relating to Universal Credit prescription penalty charges.     I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested.  1,908 complaints relating to Universal Credit prescription penalty charges have been received since 2022.   2022-23 – 3  2023-24 - 115  2024-25 - 530  2025-26 - 1030  Part three: Copies of any reports, reviews, evaluations or briefing papers produced since 1 January 2020 relating to incorrect prescription exemption claims by Universal Credit claimants, public understanding of NHS help with health costs eligibility for Universal Credit claimants, and measures to reduce incorrect claims and resulting penalty charges.    and   Part four: Please also confirm whether NHSBSA has considered, proposed or discussed introducing additional warnings, prompts or notifications to help Universal Credit claimants understand when they are no longer eligible for free NHS prescriptions. If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports, briefing papers or correspondence.   Under Section 21 of the FOIA we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you.   Please see the following link to view the section 21 in full - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/21    The information you requested is available at the following links:  Tax credits end on 5 April 2025   Legacy benefits have ended – check you’re still eligible for help   These are communication materials that were issued to help patients understand how the transition from tax credits and other legacy benefits to Universal Credit may have affected their entitlement to help with health costs.  As the transition from legacy benefits was primarily led by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the NHSBSA did not lead the communications activity, however provided supporting information and materials to help raise awareness of the changes and their potential impact on entitlement to NHS help with health costs.  The NHSBSA produced a range of communication materials, including digital resources, social media content, easy-read documents, posters and leaflets, for stakeholders to share with members of the public. These materials form part of our wider communications activity, which aims to raise awareness among Universal Credit claimants that they may be entitled to help with NHS health costs, depending on their individual circumstances. The materials also seek to explain the eligibility criteria and address the misconception that receipt of a benefit automatically confers entitlement to free NHS prescriptions and NHS dental treatment.   One of the NHSBSA’s principal communications campaigns, ‘Check before you tick’, encourages members of the public to use the online eligibility checker to confirm whether they are entitled to help with NHS health costs before claiming free NHS prescriptions. The campaign aims to increase awareness of the eligibility criteria and address the misconception that all Universal Credit claimants are automatically entitled to support. To reflect the fact that entitlement depends on individual circumstances, campaign materials use phrases such as “you may be eligible”, “you could get help” and “could you claim help?”.  An example of the campaign messaging is provided below:  “If you get Universal Credit, use the NHS eligibility checker before you claim to see if you can get help with your NHS health costs, such as NHS prescriptions and NHS dental treatment:  www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check ”."  Part five: Please also confirm whether NHSBSA has made any recommendations or representations to the Department for Work and Pensions regarding communications to Universal Credit claimants about NHS help with health costs eligibility and provide copies of any relevant correspondence.   I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. This is because the NHSBSA made no recommendations or representations to the DWP.   Data Queries   Please contact  [email protected]  ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data.  Reusing the data and copyright   If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact  [email protected] . 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 2026”. 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.