HSSD was formed after the reformation of the various States Departments. It was formed form the Board of Health and the Guernsey Social Security Authority.
The Social Security Department have a similar role to Social Services in the UK, and so they cover areas such as unemployment benefit, sick pay etc. They are also responsible for paying the drug bill for the Island for all drugs issued on Prescriptions. Social Security also pay the travel costs when patients are referred off the island. They are also responsible for the payment of Accident at Work insurance claims..
If you have a Health Benefit Card then the benefits that you can have include a Grant towards the cost of seeing the Doctor (currently £12), a grant towards the cost of seeing the Nurse (currently £4) and prescription medication. You are also entitled to treatment from the Medical Specialist Group and to be admitted to the Hospital.
When you see the Doctor, if you are given a prescription, you take it to the Pharmacy of your choice and you hand it in. You will then be given the drug that your Doctor prescribed for you. To get this, you have to pay a prescription charge (currently £2.30). This money is paid to the Social Security and NOT to the Pharmacy. It goes towards the cost of the drugs and the dispensing fee. Many of the drugs that you might be prescribed can be more than £2.30. In fact, some of them can be much more than this. As a result, the Social Security has to pay the Pharmacy the costs of the drugs. The costs of all these drugs runs into a significant amount of money. Whilst it is important that we all receive the medications that we need to help us get better, it is also important that we do not waste any medications. If you no longer feel that you need your medication, the please let the Surgery know and we will stop the prescriptions.
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