The NHS fraud crackdown and its effects on the poor should be a national scandal

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Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

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On the back of an NHS prescription there is a list of tick-box options to indicate why a patient doesn’t have to pay for their prescription. Options include being in receipt of certain means-tested benefits such as income-related employment support allowance or pension credit, for example.

However, when universal credit was introduced the prescriptions weren’t changed and so claimants of that benefit had no box they could legitimately tick, even though, if they were on maximum universal credit, they were entitled to free prescriptions.

In my work as a welfare rights adviser my colleagues and I saw a number of such claimants last year who had ticked the box for the benefit they’d received previous to universal credit (a reasonable guess) only to then receive a penalty charge notice. It was, and is, a scandal to put vulnerable people into that position and I’m glad you’ve highlighted it.

Janet Hill
Coulsdon, Surrey

It is understandable that Leavers disillusioned with the Tories and Labour should want to support the Brexit Party. Others, however, who are merely using the party to register a protest vote should consider why it is that Tory newspapers, at least one major Tory donor and, according to Jacob Rees-Mogg, the majority of Tory associations are supporting Nigel Farage.

Is it really to put pressure on parliament to back a hard Brexit? Or is it because Tory strategists, knowing they’re in for a beating, consider it less damaging to encourage Leave supporters who normally vote Tory (or, especially, Labour) to switch to the here-today-gone-tomorrow Brexit Party? Then they will expect those of its candidates who are elected as MEPs to come over to the Tories (with most of their voters) once Brexit is resolved one way or the other or if, say, Boris Johnson is elected as their leader.

Electors who want to register a vote against our political system (kept in place by the first-past-the-post electoral system), while maintaining the integrity of the UK, should vote Lib Dem or Green – the parties for reform – depending on which of them in their area has the most support. Rather than voting for the Brexit Party that, in wanting to leave the EU on World Trade Organisation terms, would seriously damage the country.

Roger Hinds
Surrey

As we strive to maintain Britain’s strong record of business and economic success, it is our duty to do all we can to enhance skills and productivity, maximising every opportunity to strengthen our workforce and economy.

Last year’s inaugural National Numeracy Day highlighted the alarming fact that almost half of UK adults have the numeracy level of an 11-year-old. It also demonstrated a great appetite amongst UK businesses to tackle this problem, with more than 100 organisations joining together to encourage 25,000 people to start their journey towards improved numeracy.

But there is much more to be done. Every business in the UK runs on numbers, and the benefits of good numeracy to individuals and the economy are huge. With the cost of poor numeracy to the UK in lost productivity estimated at more than £20bn per year, we cannot afford not to act.

Today on National Numeracy Day, we are encouraging our networks to take the first steps towards greater confidence with numbers by taking the National Numeracy Challenge, a simple online assessment tool that helps people understand their current numeracy level and offers free, tailored support.

We urge businesses to join us in supporting this critical campaign to ensure we all reap the rewards of better numeracy.

The Scottish government

Bill Michael, UK chair, KPMG

Mike Ellicock, chief executive, National Numeracy

Charles Butterworth, Experian UK&I managing director

Nicolas Breteau, CEO, TP ICAP

Nathan Bostock, CEO, Santander UK

Constantin Cotzias, director, Europe, Bloomberg LP

Malcolm Le May, CEO, Provident Financial Group

Keith Skeoch, chief executive, Standard Life Aberdeen Plc

Gayle Gorman, HM chief inspector of education and chief executive of Education Scotland

Rebecca Garrod-Waters, CEO, Ufi Charitable Trust

The government shows concern after a Jeremy Kyle guest takes his own life – an awful thing to happen. Yet very little concern over those who have taken their lives after being found fit for work. A duty of care exists for all of us. In Mental Health Awareness Week, it should make us redouble efforts to improve services for those suffering, or is that too much to ask?

Gary Martin
London E17

So the president of the United States is coming for a state visit in the same week that the prime minister could potentially lose her job. Whose bright idea was that?

Sarah Pegg
Seaford, East Sussex

Having observed the behaviour of Nigel Farage across the media this week, I wonder whether British voters realise just how closely he is modelling his strategy on his hero Donald Trump. I fear that even those of us who are happy to criticise and share with friends everything they despise about Trump are actually happy that our country now has “one of our own” who speaks out on their behalf at any cost in his quest to make this country “great again”.

Marc Cutworth​
Cambridgeshire