Blue Light Card

I’m a foster carer and often in the past we’ve been overlooked when it comes to public sector discounts, I’m so pleased that the Blue Light card is available to us. I know a lot of people think that foster carers get a good allowance for what they do but as a single foster carer with three teenage boys I can tell you I often dip into my personal bank account to make sure these lads have what they need and want. The Blue Light card and therefore the generosity of retailers have made life much easier for me to do my job properly, I’m especially grateful for the savings at the food retailers during this cost of living crisis because believe me we’ve had no additional help from the government. Blue Light card has saved me a tidy amount that I’ve been able to put towards the extra little things that always come along.

Staff of public facing organisations in the NHS and other service professions have historically received good will discounts from the kindness of shopkeepers. This is based on showing a staff ID or other evidence of being employed at the NHS. This commercial organisation creating an additional barrier and profiting from this function strikes me as objectionable. It is commodifying the goodwill that sometimes makes working in public sector professions such as the NHS feel worthwhile. I expect the next step is being charged by a middle manager to receive thank you cards from patients. Most shop assistants thankfully do not care, and would accept my staff ID without further need for the blue light card charade. I have only met one person who has decided, despite my staff ID and multiple forms of evidence that I am a doctor and employed in the NHS, continues to require the blue light card as well. This person was not the most pleasant encounter I have had whilst shopping; going through a prolonged authorisation process to tell me that I am a doctor, and I work in the NHS, feels much the same as this encounter.

Absolutely astounded at the lack of understanding of the people processing applications. If unsuccessful you just get a standard message stating that you should reapply and look at the FAQ’s for types of ID. I uploaded a copy of my service pension monthly statement as per requirements only to receive the same standard response about 5 times. Despite me telling them that I am a veteran that retired in 2006, therefore, can’t send a photocopy of my ID nor pay statement valid within the last 3 months because I have neither. Nor a copy of my discharge paperwork. As the only way to contact them is via email the conversation is never clarified. “What have I done wrong?” Ridiculous. You need an alternative way of contacting yourselves otherwise I won’t be a unique case with respect to the application process