NHS wigs and fabric supports: what you pay

The England charge depends on the item supplied

The NHSBSA charge list separates synthetic wigs, human hair wigs and fabric supports. These are NHS patient charges. They are not a survey of shop prices or a cash allowance to spend at any retailer.

Check the category first. Ask the hospital which item appears on your order before comparing the bill with this table, especially if a supplier has described it using a shop product name. A partial human hair wig and a stock modacrylic wig have different charges. The price list alone does not establish which product the NHS will supply for your needs.

Check the nation before checking an exemption

For England, start with the charge and then check your entitlement to free or reduced-cost supplies. Ask the hospital to identify the NHS charge separately from any private purchase you are considering.

For Scotland, NHSBSA says hospital-supplied NHS wigs and fabric supports are free for residents. Local ordering arrangements still matter. NHS Fife's wig leaflet describes a consultant prescription and a choice from contracted suppliers, with care and replacement conditions. Confirm your own board's process before making a retail order.

For Wales, NHSBSA also states NHS wigs and fabric supports supplied through a hospital are free for residents. Tell the supplying hospital where you live if you receive care across a border. Ask it to confirm the arrangement for your order rather than applying the England price table yourself.

For Northern Ireland, nidirect's equipment guidance says the Health Service supplies and maintains surgical appliances without charge. Its list includes wigs, surgical bras and abdominal or spinal supports. Your doctor can refer you to the professional who supplies or prescribes the appliance.

Free supplies in England

The NHS guidance includes children under 16, people aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, and hospital inpatients. It also includes qualifying war pensioners where the item relates to their accepted disablement. Bring the evidence. Show it to the person fitting the item.

A valid HC2 certificate gives full help with these NHS charges. An HC3 certificate may give partial help. Receiving a pension does not by itself settle entitlement. NHSBSA distinguishes Pension Credit Guarantee Credit from Savings Credit alone, and New Style benefits from the qualifying income-related benefits.

Universal Credit entitlement also depends on the award and assessment-period earnings. Check the Universal Credit health costs guide and the current NHSBSA criteria before claiming. Do not rely on the name of a benefit without checking which part you receive.

Work out the contribution on an HC3

The NHS says an HC3 holder pays the amount shown on the certificate or the NHS charge, whichever is lower. Read the certificate's section for this cost rather than borrowing the contribution for another service.

For illustration, suppose the relevant contribution on an HC3 is £20 and the NHS stock wig charge is £80.15. The payment would be £20, a reduction of £60.15. If the relevant contribution were £100, it would exceed the stock wig charge, so the patient would pay £80.15. These contribution figures are examples, not certificate bands.

An HC2 holder eligible for the same £80.15 NHS item would pay £0. The saving is the charge avoided. It is not £80.15 towards an unrelated private wig.

Arrange the supply before spending money

1. Ask the hospital team which department handles your NHS wig or fabric support order. Record the department name and contact details.
2. Ask whether you must use an approved supplier and whether the order needs to be authorised before a fitting. Request the item category and any amount you will owe.
3. Bring proof of age, education, qualifying benefit, inpatient status or your valid certificate as applicable. Ask the fitter to confirm the charge before taking payment.
4. If you need an income assessment, use the NHS Low Income Scheme instructions. NHSBSA offers an online application for eligible applicants and a paper HC1 application.
5. Keep the order confirmation, receipt and any certificate decision together. Check separately how repeat supplies and replacements are arranged locally.

NHS Fife's leaflet is one example of why ordering first matters. It names contractors and describes an NHS prescription process. Its local replacement conditions should not be assumed to apply to every hospital in the UK.

Already paid an NHS charge in England

Ask the hospital for a receipt showing the amount paid as an NHS charge and the payment date. NHSBSA's refund guidance directs England claims for these items to HC5(W). It says to claim within three months of payment. Download the current form from that guidance and follow its evidence and return instructions.

If you cannot print HC5(W), NHSBSA says to call 0300 330 1343 for a posted form. Its guidance specifically says this form cannot be ordered through its online form-ordering service. Keep a copy. Note when you sent the completed claim, which payment it covers and which supporting documents you enclosed, so you can answer a later enquiry without reconstructing the application.

Keep both forms visible. An income assessment and a refund claim answer different questions. If you have already paid and are applying for help, tell NHSBSA the payment date and ask what it needs for the refund claim. Do not let the three-month deadline pass while assuming an HC1 application also submits an HC5(W).

For the wider list of receipts and forms, see NHS prescription and other health cost refunds. The form for a wig or fabric support is separate from the pharmacy prescription refund process.