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Prescriptions.

Sco81

Sco81

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
All my medication is done via computer now strait to pharmacy. When I went to collect insulin, needles, lancets and test strips. They only had half the amount of test strips. And the insulin. Lucky I had some needles to last the weekend. U would think something important like that they would always have? Or send me to somewhere where they had?
 
Looking on the bright side at least you had enough to keep you going. Obviously you wont be the only one using those products and if the pharmacy only keeps so much in stock or you arrive before the delivery does then they can only give you what they have. Half is better than none though :)
 
Oh of course. I only got half of test strips. And 4 insulin pens. Didn't get any needles or lancets. If I had none could have made things complicated. As have to wait till Monday.
 
Sco81 said:
Oh of course. I only got half of test strips. And 4 insulin pens. Didn't get any needles or lancets. If I had none could have made things complicated. As have to wait till Monday.
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This has happened to me with test strips - my scrip goes to a national pharmacy chain direct from doctor, and then it gets routed to not my local branch but one in another town. They then deliver my meds to me as a job lot once every 4 weeks, coz that their system. i have tried several times to get my test strips on a seperate scrip to be routed to the in-house surgery pharmacy so I can collect on my buggy, but no, the computer cannot do that. So I have to ring the store that gets the scrip, and get them to fax it through to the local in town store so I can pick it up. My buddy (T1D on pump) needed some insulin, and his allocated pharmacy did not have any stock, but could not (or would not) reroute or fax the scrip to another one in town, so he ended up scrounging some from a mate of his. Hopefully today he got his scrip sorted
 
This is the sort of reason why I said no to going on the automated prescription system as I can take my repeat prescription in to the GPs well in advance of when I am going to run out. In fact I know when ever I go to my pharmacists with the repeat they won't have all the stuff on my prescription but they always have it for me the next day and have said that if I can't make it in to pick it up, due to other health issues, they are happy to deliver it to my home, I just need to call.
 
You could always explain to your GP that you have no back up for chemists running out... And ask for a one off script so that you have more of a back up.

GPs shod rather give that than an emergency to A&E. Most are pretty good at doing a one off for back up if properly advised of the problems with chemists etc..
 
I asked about this once and it is about space and generic calculations of how many type ones are in the area and what previous requirements for the day have been. Insulin is kept especially near the base line because of its short life spans and the fact that it needs to be refrigerated. I always try stay a script ahead to stay afloat.
 
You can't blame pharmacies for managing their stock just in time. It seems to me that one needs to shop around and find a pharmacist who manages things better. My experience favours independents over the chains.
I am happy to use the Patient Access on-line ordering system. It helps me having a GP surgery, in S. London, which allows me to build up a a month's medication buffer.
 
I had enough for it not to be an issue, just thought would be best to share. With paper prescription could just go to the next pharmacy. Not so easy with automated. My pharmacy is really good. Just think it's a flaw in the system which could be a worry to some.
 
I never have a problem. I take control of my scripts online and over the months have edged the month forward a day or so each month to build up a small stock ready for holidays or the chemist being out of stock. Why run it so tight? Also my local Lloyds never runs out of anything anyway.
 
I think this is a valid warning though. Our GPs had discussions ref electronic scripts and rejected them and remain on paper.
Some GPs will be signing up to electronic scripts. It is correct that currently you have the option whether to collect scripts from a Practice, or in our case two chemists down the road, but with electronic scripts if they just go direct to that pharmacist then options to take the script to a chemist with stock may have gone out the window?
 
I prefer to collect my prescriptions direct from the surgery and then take them to where I choose. Our local Boots has been the worst. I recently collected some medication for high blood pressure from Boots. They gave me 31 out of the 56 pills I was supposed to have with an IOU for the remaining 25 which they said I could collect the next day. The odd thing was that all the "strips" in the packet had been cut into different amounts of pills! We've never had a problem with our local Sainsbury's pharmacy or Morrisons though so we usually tend to take them there.
 
tigerlily72 said:
The odd thing was that all the "strips" in the packet had been cut into different amounts of pills! We've never had a problem with our local Sainsbury's pharmacy or Morrisons though so we usually tend to take them there.
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Looks like they were running short from their "just in time" ordering system, and you drew the short straw (or several bits of short straws). Like you I tend to use a supermarket (ASDA) and get great service (They will actually try to get what you want/need, rathe than what the stock sheet says!)
 
I e-mail my prescription needs to the GP s and cc in the pharmacy so that they know what will be needed .It seems to work well
CAROL
 
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