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Prescription

Lorraine1973

Well-Known Member
Messages
149
Location
North Yorkshire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Went to the chemist this morning to pick up my prescription waited and waited. Pharmacist couldn't find it so had to ring doctors up. Waited another 10 mins for her to be told it had gone to Stockport. Hmm never been there. Hopefully I'll be able to pick it up in the morning x
 
I often go into my pharmacy- no other customers there - assistant says ' it will be 20 minutes ' .. why ?!!!!
 
I get that too - even when I've phoned in the morning and confirmed it's OK for me to pick it up late afternoon???
 
Local pharmacy was at one time quite good at having prescriptions ready after 3 days of putting repeat into GP surgery.
Sadly over a period time the wait got longer and longer, even when I left 7 working days from putting prescription into GP and then going to pharmacy to collect.
Final straw came when on waiting 50 mins at pharmacy the door opened and a " customer " shouted that he couldn't come in because he had his dog with him and would "Mark"the pharmacy manager be good enough to bring his methadone to the door for him. Needless to say everything stopped for methadone guy and after a brief discussion with "Mark" I made the decision to travel an extra 2 miles for my prescriptions. Best thing I ever did. Pharmacy is brilliant 2 days and everything is on shelf or in fridge.
 
Just what the **** is it with these so-called Healthcare "Professionals"
Professional (def): A person competent or skilled in a particular activity ..
Competent, skilful, or assured .. worthy of or appropriate to a professional person ..
Yeah .. right :meh::meh:
 
I have to say my pharmacy is great. My prescription is always ready for me to collect the day after my GP has approved my online repeat request. They always recognise me though I only go in for the repeat prescription every 8 weeks. The prescription is always bagged up ready in a drawer and they get it out within 30 seconds.
On a couple of occasions they haven't had enough meds to fill the whole order (two meds) and have given me an 'owe' note for the balance, which has always been available the next morning.
 
My pharmacy is a bit slap dash, some months meds are ready within 2 days and other months can wait a week
 
Mine often "owes" me stuff which is a pain as there are only two days a week when I can get there while they are open. They don't seem to carry needles and test strips as stock and have to order each time. Either I am the only diabetic in the village (!) Or there are so many of us the pharmacy run out...
 
I'm so so lucky with this one. My GP surgery (small but vibrant rural village) dispenses on site - I order my 'shopping' on their online system and walk down to collect it 48 hours later. And if I have an appointment to see a doctor and am prescribed something there and then, I just pop to the dispensary window next to reception. Fantastic service.

(Edited for typo)
 
Last edited:
Our village pharmacy is brilliant. Up to last week all I had to do was to put a repeat prescription request into the Doc's (I've got them pre-printed) and could pick up in the pharmacy, it's next door to Doc's, more or less the next day. When my wife looked in to pick up my meds this week the pharmacist said there was no need to put the request into the Doc's as they had a note of my meds and would dispense on request. Also if I ever need a double dose for when going on holiday there would be no problem.
 
Being a pharmacy manager hearing stuff like this gets you angry.

Yes you may have to wait 20 minutes, because mr smith dropped his prescription in before you and although he isn't in pharmacy he is before you as he is calling back.

Diabetes products like needles and test strips etc are used often in certain brands like ours use nexus so we may have 10 in stock but 5 new people have two boxes each.
Then you arrive and so we have run out.

I'd recommend you ask your pharmacy for services they offer, pharmacies now offer express or auto services where they order a week in advance so when your script is due they have everything ready (unless of course there a problem with the item or the doctors haven't done the prescription)
 
My pharmacy are... interesting. You have to be very very careful to check that they have given you everything, but also that the stuff that they have given you is a) the right medication b) has your name on it and not somebody else's c) the medication listed on the box is the same as the medication that is actually in the box and d) other assorted whoopsies. It is truly frightening.
 
My pharmacy are... interesting. You have to be very very careful to check that they have given you everything, but also that the stuff that they have given you is a) the right medication b) has your name on it and not somebody else's c) the medication listed on the box is the same as the medication that is actually in the box and d) other assorted whoopsies. It is truly frightening.

I'd advised when you do this and there are errors, you ask the manager to report it to the CCG.
Fair enough you check yours, but if others don't and trust the pharmacy and take the medication that isn't prescribed for that it's dangerous and as been known to cause death.

Please report it, it's a serious offence on the pharmacy side and they should report each incident.
 
I've used 3 different pharmacies in the last year.

First one was supposed to keep my prescription and auto repeat. Never happened. It ended up with about 3 different trips for every repeat.

Second one always had to order my drug in specially, then kept me waiting for ages because it was never ready, days after the order arrived.

Third one was AMAZING! Available less than 24 hrs after requesting at docs. In and out within 5 mins, despite a queue of 5 people. I'm sticking with this one.

So i guess it is just a matter of finding one that has the systems and staff in place to cope efficiently.
 
@JaylaP Thanks for that advice! I didn't know I could do that :)

The wheel of ever changing staff has just rotated in there again, and that's twice in a row now they've actually managed to get it all right! So I have hope. I don't mind waiting, because I can appreciate that it is often a lot busier than it looks, and I don't mind having to come back for stuff, because obviously you can't keep enough of everything - for instance, there aren't a lot of people on Tresiba, so it would be nuts to have boxes and boxes of the stuff sitting around. But it is nice when everything is right!
 
Our pharmacy has had huge amounts of patients not collecting monthly prescriptions or ones jyst sent over electronically straight from patient seeing the GP.

They waate a lot of time preparing these non collected items and now have adopted that they will not do the double check until the patient is there and collecting.

Its not all the Pharmacy....

Ie I know someone that is only on one tablet and is not taking it...as she is too scared to tell GP. Sometimes she collects snd bins, sometimes jyst leaves and leaves it...

Its not all pharmacy fault.
 
I have options with my prescription, I have opted for I hand in repeat to doctor, she sends electronically to my pharmacy of choice, the pharmacy sends me a text on my mobile. Usually 48hrs as promised.

Land lines take text messages, is that available to everyone? Or have I started paying for something which initially I didn't realise could be done?
 
Ie I know someone that is only on one tablet and is not taking it...as she is too scared to tell GP. Sometimes she collects snd bins, sometimes jyst leaves and leaves it...
I recently discovered (house move of an elderly family member with dermatology issues) a vast concealed stash of prescribed shampoo, body wash and factor 50 sunblock. These had been automatically delivered to her home on a monthly basis over a long period of time. We had no idea. There were so many that she admitted it was a source of anxiety to her to ensure she was using them in date order. I was absolutely horrified, and we have now sorted it out with the practice.

I have to request specific items from my repeat list, and I don't ever need everything every time, so this could only happen with my own medication if I ticked every single box on the online list or my printed list. There are some things I have on there that I don't need very often at all.

And a massive bottle of sun cream lasts for ages, so why that was on my family member's doctor's 'dispense monthly automatically' system I have no idea! No wonder the house was so full of stuff.

What a WASTE!

:banghead:
 
I recently discovered (house move of an elderly family member with dermatology issues) a vast concealed stash of prescribed shampoo, body wash and factor 50 sunblock. These had been automatically delivered to her home on a monthly basis over a long period of time. We had no idea. There were so many that she admitted it was a source of anxiety to her to ensure she was using them in date order. I was absolutely horrified, and we have now sorted it out with the practice.

I have to request specific items from my repeat list, and I don't ever need everything every time, so this could only happen with my own medication if I ticked every single box on the online list or my printed list. There are some things I have on there that I don't need very often at all.

And a massive bottle of sun cream lasts for ages, so why that was on my family member's doctor's 'dispense monthly automatically' system I have no idea! No wonder the house was so full of stuff.

What a WASTE!

:banghead:

Thats so sad as well that it causing family member distress!!

It amazes me as we all should have medication reviews with GP and Pharmacies, so this shouldnt happenif the patient feels ok to speak up.

My GP Practice does medication reviews over the phone. No hassle but it really is down to the patient totalk to GP.

I have heard of people not taking the breast cancer hormone tablets andbot telling GP. Same with statins etc...

Why? Why are patients still wasting NHS money and just accepting meds because they not want to discuss with GP?

I've been thru hell with side effects of cancer meds.I decided to stop...I reported to MHRA and they officially informed GP, although I had discussed.
Thanks to be open and honest with my medical teams I amnow getting a 2nd mastectomy as precautionary...if I had kept taking horrific meds or stopping without telling themI would doubt that I would be having this preventative surgery/operation.

I plead to everyone, please review your meds with GPs.if you stop taking meds or they have side effects, tell your GP..
 
Mine's pretty dandy!

Order the repeat prescription online, leave it 2 days and call in at the chemist. 99% of the time it's ready and waiting. the odd time it hasn't been ready has usually been a mistake at the surgery which the chemist sorts over the phone, there and then. It's a busy suburban chemist.

Long may it continue.
 
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