The Caring Hair Boutique

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Most people will qualify for some help towards the cost of a wig from the NHS to cover hair loss. But there is nothing to stop you from choosing to buy a wig privately if you wish. Below we explain payment options and ideas.

Budgeting
As well as your wig don’t forget to budget for the items below as these will not normally be covered by your NHS prescription so you will need to fund these costs yourself.

• Wig stand From £4.99 upwards
• Care and styling products From £3.00 upwards
• Wig brush and styling aids From 3.00 upwards
• Wig/scull cap From 0.50p Upwards
• Accessories From £1.00 upwards

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Private payment – meaning that you pay in full
You may not be offered an NHS prescription. Therefore, you may decide to select a wig that is not covered by your NHS prescription such as a real hair wig or a wig outside of the NHS range on offer.

Private Health Insurance
If you are having private treatment then your oncologist may ask you to visit your GP in order to be referred as part of the NHS wig prescription service. It is well worth calling your local NHS wig supplier to ask for their help as they can often point you in the right direction.

You will be excempt from paying VAT - click here to read more

Why aren’t all wig suppliers able to accept an NHS referral or prescription service?
The NHS referral and prescription charges system works though your hospital's surgical appliances department. This department follows a strict code of conduct for regulating wig referrals.Many wig shops simply don’t have the infrastructure, availability of services or resources to be awarded NHS status. This does not mean that they do not offer a good service. Each health authority will have selected one or two shops (or services) as its main referral partners – this is just the way the system works. 

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NHS support
Speak to your nurse or consultant about your referral letter and details of your local supplier.

It may be that you will qualify for help towards costs of a wig from the NHS because your hair loss is due to a side effect of medical treatment. If so you will normally be limited to using a supplier that is recommended by your local NHS authority. These are suppliers who have the contract agreement with the NHS to supply you a wig. You will normally receive a referral letter which will tell you the details of agreed suppliers. For more about Visiting your local NHS supplier click here

Some helpful points:
The NHS may be able to offer you help towards the full or partial costs of a wig. The NHS only funds “Synthetic (acrylic) wigs” unless you are allergic to these. In other words if you prefer a human hair wig then you would need to fund this in full privately.

If NHS funded then most wig suppliers will offer you a range which you may chose from that is covered by your NHS prescription. They will normally also have other ranges which are not available within your prescription and so need to be paid in full privately.

Many people ask why wig suppliers won’t allow them to use their wig prescription to purchase a wig that is not within the NHS prescription range. Unfortunately the wig suppliers have a limited resource and strict regulations and so can’t offer a top up system. In other words you need to choose a wig from the NHS covered range or pay in full yourself  Wig from the NHS