Website of the Department of Health

It states:

Please bring this to the attention of staff in renal units, and staff issuing exemption certificates.

Guidance on exemption from prescription charges is set out in leaflet HC11, Help with Health Costs. The leaflet is also published on the Department of Health website

We would like to clarify the conditions for medical exemption from prescription charges in the case of dialysis patients. Any patient who has a permanent fistula which requires a surgical dressing or an appliance would be entitled to medical exemption if they have completed application form FP92A and a doctor has signed the form to confirm the condition (in this context, "permanent" is taken to mean "intended to last indefinitely"). Whether or not a dialysis patient has a permanent fistula which requires a surgical dressing or appliance is a matter for their doctor's clinical judgement.

We would expect the criteria to be met where there is a clinical need for a permanent fistula to be covered by a surgical dressing (for example between haemodialysis treatments) or by an appliance (such as a catheter for peritoneal dialysis).