Nobody profits from telling you this

Three things that are true, checkable, and worth money or safety to you — and that stay quiet because no one has a reason to say them out loud. Every figure below links to its source.

Nothing here is collected or tracked. No cookies, no analytics, no outside requests. Everything runs on your own phone.

Money · England only

The prescription prepayment certificate

In England an NHS prescription costs £9.90 per item. If you collect several items a month, a prepayment certificate (PPC) caps what you pay: one fixed price covers all your prescriptions for its whole duration, however many you collect.

A 12-month PPC costs £114.50. A 3-month one costs £32.05. The NHS puts the break-even plainly: you save money if you need more than 3 items in 3 months, or 11 items in 12 months.

How many prescription items do you collect in a typical month?

or type a number:

12 months at £9.90 each—

12-month PPC£114.50

There is also a separate HRT PPC at £19.80 a year, covering HRT prescriptions. You can buy any PPC online from the NHSBSA, or a pharmacist can sell you one.

Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — this only matters in England.

Nobody searches for a thing whose name they have never heard, and no one at the till earns anything by mentioning it.

Check it: nhs.uk — save money with a PPC · nhsbsa.nhs.uk — buy a PPC

Safety · UK police

There is no 24-hour rule for reporting someone missing

The idea that you must wait 24 hours is a myth. You can report someone as missing as soon as you think they could be. If the person is a child, elderly, or vulnerable, tell the police straight away.

999 if you are extremely concerned 101 otherwise — or go to a police station

The one reasonable case for waiting: if someone is simply late home or late for an appointment, try contacting them and the place they were headed first. Anything more worrying than that, do not wait.

The myth comes from fiction, and fiction has better distribution than police FAQs.

Check it: askthe.police.uk · gov.uk — report a missing person

First aid

Burns: cool water, twenty minutes, and nothing else

As soon as possible, cool the burn under cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes. Twenty minutes is far longer than anyone's instinct — that gap is the whole reason this is here.

20:00

Keep the water running the whole time.

Never use ice or iced water.
Never use butter, creams or any greasy substance.
Cover it with cling film laid over the burn — not wrapped around a limb.
Keep the person warm with a blanket or clothing (not on the burn). Cooling a large burn can cause hypothermia, especially in young children and elderly people.

The wrong version is folk wisdom passed down by people who love you.

Check it: nhs.uk — burns and scalds treatment