My late wife found this was a terrible additional burden,are there any posters who have had bad experiences in accessing NHS guidance & charges?
What is the NHS range of wigs and is it the same throughout the u.k.?
HI Malcolm
I’ve had a great service from my NHS. They gave me a voucher to take to a local supplier who coudl not have been nicer or more helpful. She searched and searched for the perfect wig for me, and it was £155 but NHS still paid whole cost. It took a while to come as from USA but so worth the wait. Going out in it is much better than a scarf or buff, as no one knows you’ve got cancer and gives you sad looks - a real psychological boost.
I know it’s not the same everywhere and feel lucky to have been treated as I have been.
Kinden
x
I only had good experiences within my NHS trust - the wigs are given free, no paperwork to deal with at all, and organised by one woman who will even do emergency wigs when you open the oven on a Snday lunch time and melt the thing!
it isn;t the same throughout the Uk - some trusts just give a ‘prosthetics voucher’ and you make up the rest, some trusts seem to do nothing helpful atall and some use sub standard products.
My wig is a ‘Raquel’ wig ( the raquel welch range!) and retails at £189. it is as perfct as these things can be. Well, except for maybe the matted tatty bit that’s developing at the back!
Are you hoping to improve your local services Malcom? Good luck if so…
Td
Thank you Kinden & Angel…Yes I am trying to improve local services and ‘post code Lottery’…please look at my post on…‘wig’ search…thread 'advice about wigs needed’Response is low…I am losing my drive.
Basicly The West Dorset PCT,at their wig clinic supply NHS wigs (I can’t recall the range,but Monica,who did have such beautiful hair,did not like).SO…as the trust would pay the first £100 towards the cost of a nicer wig ,we opted for that.This had to be done in-house with 'Browns of Plymouth…More Hair For You.(no prices available on their web site,as they told me it not a retail site…only a link back to the Tusts with whom they had contracts.We bought a wig, and paid the balance.THEN we had to pay the prescription charge.I subsequently got all monies back as we were not happy bunies and found a nice one in the high street £135 ,with trim,spray & shampoo gratis.Monica insisted he took £25 towards this charity.Believe it or not one of Browns directors said that she had been disputing the prescription charge for some time,18 months later I am till argueing the point for the sake of others.
I’m in Derby. I was happy to find that wig vouchers were offered during the first chemo session. The vouchers had a a nominal value of (If I recall correctly) £120 -this was years ago -but I think it covered most of the normal range of wigs available. I could take the voucher to any retailer I chose to go to within the area .
I chose Debenhams in Nottingham as it was popularly reported to be the best. I found it to be adequate for my purpose although not outstanding.
Thanks unafits…great,now I’m getting somewhere…
My hospital (Queen Elizabeth, Woolwich, London), refers us to a local hairdresser who has the franchise for providing wigs for NHS patients.
Unfortunately the service there is abysmal with unhelpful staff and what can only be described as a broom cupboard for the wig fitting - not a pleasant experience when you are losing your hair and feeling frightened and emotional.
There (as far as I know) is no such thing as an NHS wig, all the wigs on offer are the same as any you could buy as a private patient, there is no prescription charge and the wig is free. All the top makes are available.
However, I was unhappy with the one I chose, and visited a large outlet at Lakeside shopping centre where the ladies were much more helpful and understanding and got a lovely wig with which I was happy and I wore it all through my treatment until my hair regrew. I had to pay for this myself, as I’d already got one at the franchise outlet through the hospital.
I think all health authorities have different schemes, and I would have liked ours to offer vouchers so that I could have chosen where I wanted to buy.
xxx
Unafits…If the wig cost more,then presumably you paid the difference?
Wow this is great,justme…Just what I’m searching for.As you might know,Monica is now dead & was such a great person,& was so upset by her experience & I know that to lose your hair is a final slap in the face,when you girls have to go through what you do.
Malcolm, I am so sorry for your loss but I am positive your wife would be very proud of you and thank you for your interest.
It does seem to differ from area to area,I didn’t realise myself I thought everyone received the same throughout the NHS! I received 2 prescribtions for wigs of which I only have used one.This entitled me to go to an appointed outlet and choose any wig and I would only pay £59. I still consider this to be a small amount considering the importance it plays.
My husband still finds it hard to beleive how upsetting my hair loss is to me compared with the bigger picture, but it’s the visible sign that makes the cancer so real.
I have heard that the famous hairdresser Trevor Sorbie now specialises in wigs as he has realised how a good wig can give a lady back her self esteem and confidence-never a truer word spoken.Perhaps it would be worth contacting him to make him aware of you cause!!!
Good luck! I would be very interested in your progress,
Jen
I used the wig bank for wigs. It supplies new and used wigs at a reduced rate (new wigs were £40 each) All profits when to Maggies centre ( a cancer charity). I wrote to the head office in Scotland and was sent pictures of wigs and sent wigs to try. I could sendthem back if I didn’t like them. They also have offices all over the country so you can look at wigs in person. The hospital were fine about my wigs and took time and patience with me. i am so sorry to here of the loss of your wife, Malcolm. This diisease is so cruel. I am lucky now as have a head full of hair grown back and started to come back towards the end of chemo.
Rach
Hi Malcolm
I was offered a NHS prescription costing me £59.20.I received a ‘purchase order’ from my local hospital stating that I could have 1 x modern fibre wig . There was presumably a certain manufacturer that I could only choose from but they were fab. I opted to go to a supplier in Blackpool ( I live in Blackburn) where I chose a lovely bob style.
The only extra cost I had was to buy a ‘kit’ containing shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, wig stand, net and brush for £25.00.
I asked how much the wigs were and was told £85.00 but since I was on treatment and if I did want to purchase another one, I would’nt pay VAT.
I am sorry to hear the loss of your wife, hoping as time passes it will get a little easier.
I hope this helps you.
Anita
Gee thanks…Jen & Rach
Jen…you are so right,as to hubby’s thoughts.Yes it is so ‘in yer face…init’.Anyway I thrive on righting apparent injustices,my heart goes out to all you girls.I cannot help you in the the bigger picture,but I have good experience in this area.If I get enough evidence together,I will contact my M.P.
Love to you all,brave girls & please keep it coming.
Malcolm.
Yes Anita…Wot a GREAT reply…Thanks babe for your thoughts & I will ‘raise a glass’ to all your partners and near ones…cos I know it’s s…t on wheels for them too.Bin there,got the T shirt.45 years married.
Thanks again for your time.
We never even saw a ‘prescription’,but we paid £57.20 on top of the wig price!
Hi again Malcolm
Yes - if the wig I wanted was more than the nominal value then I would have had to pay extra but really there was such a big choice that there shouldn’t be the need. There were real hair wigs which did cost more but I wasn’t that interested in the finer points of wig wearing at the time.I just wanted something to cover the bonce and with my own hair departing rapidly it was a race against time. In the end I only wore it for high days and holidays and ended up mainly sporting a Buff ( look them up in a search engine-they are soft,brightly coloured and very comfortable on a hairless head)
Good luck with your research Malcolm
Thanks unafitz…Monica mainly wore a floppy father xmas hat in doors…she had a wicked sense of humour.
Where have all the posts gone.?..my page is empty!
Ooops that better…tech.hitch somewhere,moving to page 2…sorry.