Thread: Getting vouchers from the doctor

Originally Posted by MadameLaMinx

Good on you for finding a thread about the topic you wanted to know about though.

I cant speak for your own Primary Care Trust about their policies, but I do know here (and my own Consultant told me this, this week) that you have to fund yourself for 3 months after the initial 12 weeks before you can apply for another 12 week pass.

I think it varies by area, because that wasnt the case with me. I got 12 weeks worth, went back to the nurse who checked that I was progressing satisfactorily then gave me another 12 weeks worth that ran straight on from the previous set.

I also know from being on the social team and taking the money each week that there are still people on the vouchers that go straight on to the next set after finishing the first lot.

I think the only time they WONT give you the next set is if you fail to show any significant progress after the first 12 weeks - ie they wont fund you if it seems like you arent trying or taking it seriously.

Thats how it is in my area anyway (Bristol - coincidentally, the same as the person who started this thread nearly 3 years ago!!)

I've not had the vouchers, but the way you describe it is how I always thought it worked, but according to my C, thats not how it works here. I always thought if you had lost well over the first 12 you could apply for the next 12, but apparently not? She might be wrong though. Seems a bit daft to fund someone for 12 weeks and them to make good progress, but then withdraw that support for 12 weeks before offering it again.

It may well even vary from one GP practice to another tbh, being as they are the ones who fund the vouchers.

perhaps its one claim every 6 months?? hence the 12 week gap???

My mummy got 12 weeks free, lost 2 stone and they wouldnt give her any more....gutted as she cant work as she is not well, and the money she gets on benefit can only be described as peanuts. She struggles to put the money together but manages to each week. Just.

I might send her back up the docs to see if she can get another set though.....she has lost nearly 3 stone now

x

Have you got to be on any kind of beneft to quality - or can you be working? I know it's a silly question but i don't think it's been answered in this thread.

I don't know why i don't know about these kind of things - i was gobsmacked about this to be honest. I thought if you went to to the doctors and they thought you needed to lose weight - they just gave you a diet sheet to follow!!

Originally Posted by LV30

Have you got to be on any kind of beneft to quality - or can you be working? I know it's a silly question but i don't think it's been answered in this thread.

I don't know why i don't know about these kind of things - i was gobsmacked about this to be honest. I thought if you went to to the doctors and they thought you needed to lose weight - they just gave you a diet sheet to follow!!

Nope, not means tested at all, I think you just have to have BMI of over 30.

But dont get too excited, as most posts have indicated, it really depends on where you live as to whether they do it at all! And if they do, it seems some make you pay part way through (like Madame La Minx and Ellebear have found), but others have no such rules (as my own personal experience proves)

Well Ive JUST this afternoon been to my Drs to get my vouchers and guess what?? Im in Bristol too LOL
The nurse gave me 12 weeks and said she *may* be able to give me another 12 weeks after but she is running out and doesnt know if "they" are going to provide anymore. They being the PCT i assume!

It was a combo of weight, BMI and waist measurement to fit the criteria.

On the scrounger subject I think it will ultimately save the NHS a fortune in bariatric care in the long run and it is often used as an alternative for thiose that rock up to the Drs demanding a gastric band/bypass despite being just 3 stone overweight and wanting a quick fix.

For the record Im on Employment Support Allowance and my husband works and pays 40% tax so we are the exact middle of "doley scum" and "wonderful tax payer" LOL

I think that some of the "scrounger" discussions were from quite a long time ago (this is a very old thread) and hopefully things wont get quite that heated again!

Its coming to the end of the financial year, and they are getting rid of PCTs and leaving GPs to manage their own budgets so there's bound to be a bit of confusion of the future of the provision of vouchers at the moment

The government has stopped the funding for them. You can only get one lot of vouchers if you've not had them before and in the next few months they will stop altogether. It's such a shame

I'm in Barnsley in Yorkshire and our PCT does the vouchers but we get the choice of either 12 wks SW membership or 12 wks gym membership. When my practice nurse told me this I had already enrolled in SW the week before so I chose the gym membership. It costs around £5 per gym session and you get 2 per week so its a better freebie than the SW vouchers as you only get 1 per week.

Criteria to qualify for the vouchers in our area is a BMI over 25 or 28 (can't remember exactly what she said) but its worth ringing your surgery to ask. Worst they can do is say "no".

We also had a rep from another local gym come into class today offering a free day pass for anyone to try out their gym (and hopefully taking out a membership) so its worth talking to your C and asking if any of the gyms in your area do this.

I've just been referred this morning. 12 weeks on SW and 12 weeks council run leisure centres use