Getting vouchers from the doctor

[Tracee]

OK Fair point Louise... now let's ask those same people how many of them smoke...

 

[Taz]

Tracee, I don't smoke, I don't drink and I work my arse off just to make ends meet. I am entitled to no relief from any kind of tax breaks and I have to pay full price for everything (prescriptions, gym membership etc). I rarely require aid from my local NHS and I have worked since I was 14 and paid my NHS all that time. Whilst I don't feel like I am 'entitled' to free SW vouchers, I am going through a tough time financially and without my vouchers I wouldn't be able to attend. I have tried going it alone before but I can't stay on track without the group session each week.

I am not a sponger, I never have been. I do have an issue with people who 'earn' more than I do by sitting on their backsides not even attempting to get a job and they get free prescriptions, discounts on everything and, in some cases, free gym membership!

Do I feel bad about the NHS paying £40 for me to attend SW for 12 weeks? No, because I pay more to them than that and I would rather my contributions go to those helping themselves than to fund someone who wont

 

[jaylou]

Taz, you are one in a million! I think there are few people like you though.
I know someone who says they can't afford SW yet has a sky package at £50 a month, drinks like a fish, smokes and generally has a life of eating ready meals etc.

I would say a lot of people who say they can't afford SW would only have to give up a couple of ready meals a week and would then find the money, it's the cost of a bottle of wine!

I don't think Tracee was being personal and I can see both sides, everyone's circumstances are different but I really do think there are a lot of people who could afford it if they wanted to!

Oh, and another woman who used to come to class stopped coming as she couldn't afford it, she used to bring her kids clad top to toe in designer clothes..... hmm!!

 

[tara40]

Tracee, I don't smoke, I don't drink and I work my arse off just to make ends meet. I am entitled to no relief from any kind of tax breaks and I have to pay full price for everything (prescriptions, gym membership etc). I rarely require aid from my local NHS and I have worked since I was 14 and paid my NHS all that time. Whilst I don't feel like I am 'entitled' to free SW vouchers, I am going through a tough time financially and without my vouchers I wouldn't be able to attend. I have tried going it alone before but I can't stay on track without the group session each week.

I am not a sponger, I never have been. I do have an issue with people who 'earn' more than I do by sitting on their backsides not even attempting to get a job and they get free prescriptions, discounts on everything and, in some cases, free gym membership!

Do I feel bad about the NHS paying £40 for me to attend SW for 12 weeks? No, because I pay more to them than that and I would rather my contributions go to those helping themselves than to fund someone who wont

:happy096::happy096::happy096:

Well said. Instead of berating people for getting £40 of the NHS to loose weight, why not concentrate on all the people that are sponging thousands upon thousands of us, the tax payers, and are perfectly capable of working or are getting 'cash in hand' jobs. I for one support anything that will help people loose the weight as in the long run, it will help the NHS if people were in their correct BMI.

also would i qualify for it?

 

[Taz]

I don't think Tracee was being personal at all and I totally see her point. I couldn't afford to smoke (not that I'd even want to) and I do laugh when people who spend £5 - £10 a day on fags then say they can't afford x, y and z.

There is a guy at my group who is in a wheelchair. He doesn't work (because of his disability) and he has 7 kids. He gets the vouchers to attend SW and he also has exercise on prescription. Every week he buys about 10 packs of HiFi bars for his kids (not cheap snacks for kids!) and he goes to the same gym as me for his EOP (I pay £34.75 a month). He was in the gym last week chatting to some one and saying that he goes to SW but "doesn't eat any of their rubbish", claiming to have lost all his weight through exercise alone. If that is true then he shouldn't be getting the vouchers at all and taking the place of someone who could actually use it. He has more money than I do, can support 7 kids (I don't have any yet as I can't afford to support one) and gets loads of stuff for free. Who pays for that? I do!

 

[tara40]

okay I apologise if i sounded harsh, i dont mean to. but in all areas of life you find people that abuse the system. me personally, i try to not let it bother me. I have people in my immediate family that abuse the system and i was really letting it get to me, but since i have decided to just concentrate on what i have got in my life i feel much better. I am teaching my boys the right way to get on in life and not to rely on other people to pay their way.

 

[jaylou]

Every week he buys about 10 packs of HiFi bars for his kids (not cheap snacks for kids!)

OMG!!!!!!
I would make them flapjacks, how much is a bag of oats, some seeds and a bit of butter and golden syrup!!! (it's what my daughter gets!) Some people!

 

[Taz]

I get nothing from the 'system' while some people get it all handed to them on a plate. I had to fight for my vouchers. I know I shouldn't look at what others have but sometimes it makes me mad.

 

[tara40]

I get nothing from the 'system' while some people get it all handed to them on a plate. I had to fight for my vouchers. I know I shouldn't look at what others have but sometimes it makes me mad.

ditto. but you need to just let it go over your head and concentrate on yourselves. The welfare system is never going to be fair, unfortunately.

 

[Taz]

You are totally right. We work so they don't have to!

 

[tara40]

and blooming hell am i working now. i work in a secondary school with mostly naughty teenagers and i have two with me now. nightmare.

 

[Minders]

My Mum told me that a couple of ladies at her SW class are having their fees paid for by vouchers from the GP.

I was wondering if anyone else here uses them and if there is some criteria the docs use, like over a certain weight. I have at least 7 stone to lose but have been put off going back to SW because of the cost.

I'm in the Bristol area if its done geographically.

I live in Bristol, near Easton... I'm on my third lot of GP vouchers. My docs seem happy to keep giving them to me as long as I am making good progress.

 

[Taz]

I live in Bristol, near Easton... I'm on my third lot of GP vouchers. My docs seem happy to keep giving them to me as long as I am making good progress.

I didn't know you were in Bristol too! you aren't far from me! I am lucky that I am just over the South Glos border as SG don't do the vouchers but Bristol do

 

[Tracee]

Hello everyone....

I certainly did not write my comments to offend anyone... I totally appreciate not all people take from "the system" and I also appreciate there are many like Taz who work really hard in life and deserve any help they can get, because at the end of the day you've paid for that help ten times over being a tax payer.

I think we all know where I was coming from with my comments. There are people in every street and even maybe some family members we can all look at and see they seem to get everything from free prescriptions to certain housing benefits, they are the people I was referring to. People who think it is a god given right they should get SW vouchers (as an instance) yet feel no guilt when they can afford to smoke 40 a day. I am like you Taz, I have worked from the age of 16, and have earnt everything I have and proud of that fact. I now teach in a FE College and see the same mind set in some of my students, NOT all, just some! They too think it is a given right to work "the system" and they haven't even contributed to it at their young age.. so on it goes!

Once again, apologies to all if I offended..

 

[Taz]

I don't think anyone is offended hun, it's a healthy debate and one I can shout about all day! I once asked about EOP as at the time I wanted to start swimming again to increase my exercise and because I do MA's I was told I didn't qualify. Basically they said if I sat on my arse and did nothing to help myself I would have got free gym and swim for 3 months but as I was trying my best to do what was right I would have to fund it myself! Which I have now done but I struggle to find the money for it.

 

[tracyaa]

My Mum lives in Knowle and was able to get the first 12 weeks paid for by the NHS. She was one step away from being referred for gastric band surgery after trying numerous weight loss medications. She still attends now a year later and is still losing weight but is not able to get any more vouchers.

 

[Taz]

There are a lot of us Bristolians here!

 

[Minders]

I didn't know you were in Bristol too! you aren't far from me! I am lucky that I am just over the South Glos border as SG don't do the vouchers but Bristol do

I live right next to St George's Park

 

[tara40]

what bmi do you need to have to qualify for free vouchers?

 

[Minders]

I don't know what the criteria is... I just got the impression that if you needed to lose weight, especially if your weight is likely to cause health problems at some point, then they'd prefer to be proactive in getting you to lose the weight thus dealing with the cause of the problems, rather than just treating the symptomology that might develop as a result of being obese. But I'm just assuming....

I have about 5 stone to lose... and my doctor referred me for this.