You Couldn't Make It Up.

[Outlier]

Yesterday I went to collect my prescription for glucose testing strips and lancets. The system with my surgery is that patients request their prescription renewal, which has to be done either by letter left in a special box by the surgery door (which I do) or on the internet. Not possible by telephone. Strips supplied okay but no lancets. Pharmacist says lancets haven't been prescribed. We agree that it's quite challenging to test bloods without them. Suggests I contact surgery which is handily next door. Receptionist assures me I have never had lancets issued. I assure her that I have had them supplied this way for the last 3 and a half years. She too agrees that it might pose a difficulty to test bloods without them. I know from past experience that the surgery does not keep my prescription requests on my notes but destroys them as soon as actioned, so there is no actual proof that I have ever been prescribed anything. This mostly works in my favour so I don't challenge it but isn't exactly efficient IMO. Receptionist puts in a request for lancets which should be actioned by Monday. Wild card is that I can't drive at the moment (leg injury) so have to ask someone for a lift, which I may or may not be able to do on Monday. No great problem as I always order a new supply while I have some in hand. BUT. Could something so simple possibly be made any more difficult?

 

[Rokaab]

I know the lancets can be used more than once, I know a good amount of people use them til they start going a bit blunt (myself included), so unless you really dont have any left, you can just use the remaining ones multiple times until you can get your prescription

 

[Lamont D]

I'm currently trying to get home visits for my Mrs.
The government have put her on the at risk list.
The DWP, pay her PIP cos of her disabilities. Top rate.
The council have made adjustments to the house, to help with her disabilities
The council have offered home help, for her.
my wife has a court order, so she need not be assessed by the DWP, ever!

But because, it is not on her medical records, that she is currently not allowed to have home visits.
it is very disturbing that again in our country, you won't get a lot cos you are not disabled enough.
And all the information, which these other departments etc need, has come from our surgery!

Go figure!

 

[Outlier]

I know the lancets can be used more than once, I know a good amount of people use them til they start going a bit blunt (myself included), so unless you really dont have any left, you can just use the remaining ones multiple times until you can get your prescription

Unfortunately and infuriatingly the lancets they issue are single-use (lots of plastic waste) and cannot be re-used as they are individual capsules. Means my medical waste container has to be collected more often as well.

 

[sgm14]

Unfortunately and infuriatingly the lancets they issue are single-use

Just curious but how do they enforce this as opposed to just recommend it.

I know not all surgeries and pharmacies work the same way, but don't they have any flexibility or procedures to handle ****-ups.

I went to lift a prescription at my local pharmacy which wasn't there and both my local pharmacist and the receptionist at my doctor's surgery mentioned that if I had really run out, that I could still get some emergency supplies without waiting for 24-48 hours for the new prescription to be processed. (My prescription did include insulin, so perhaps that is a special case).

 

[Outlier]

They don't need to enforce it. The lancets in question are held in a plastic case that only allows one use. Infuriating and not at all environmentally friendly. They are called Glucorex pressure activated safety lancets.

 

[EllieM]

I appreciate your lancets are funded by the NHS, but looks like a pack of "normal" ones can be got for GBP 5

Glucose in Blood Meter Lancets x 100

Glucose in Blood Meter Lancets x 100

www.medisave.co.uk

I don't bother with a lancing device (just use bare lancets) and that would last me several months.... (probably a year now I have a cgm and don't test so often.)

Might be worth investing in a pack for emergency use???

 

[Outlier]

I don't test more than a few times a week these days, so no need for emergency-use stash, but would certainly be necessary if I was testing more often and this prescription hiccup was a regular thing. I hope it's a one-off and I will phrase my next request emphatically so whoever got it wrong is less likely to do it again. It's a good job I don't wait until I run out before requesting the next prescription, and that it is no longer vital to keep close track of my BG.

 

[jaywak]

My surgery has always had a review procedure which they do every couple of years were they go through prescriptions and decide if certain items are still needed by the patient and have on a couple of occasions got it right and removed things I no longer need but unfortunately most of my items will be needed until I die , I just phone them up and tell them they are still needed and they put the items back, it's annoying but easily rectified .

 

[ChrisT2]

Can't help with the problems of your surgery but maybe consider changes in type of lancet used. I have always had to self fund both meter and more lately a CGM, With the meter I initially used an Accu-chek Soft Clix which has a single lancet recommended for single use but I used it several times over (probably 5 or more) before changing needle. Nowadays I use a Fast Clix which has a drum of 6 needles designed for single use but I use 1 needle about 5 or 6 times before changing and get 30+ stabs per drum. I know it is against all manufacturer H&S recommendations but I have never had any health issues by re-using and it is cost effective as well as being better on the plastic use. May be worth considering.

 

[Outlier]

I have to accept the lancets the surgery/pharmacy supplies and until this time has included in the prescription each time I put in the request for them. Yes I could buy mine separately but if the surgery chooses to issue them, why would I? My prescription request included lancets. This is just an example of ocean-going amazing inefficiency and I thought would amuse some of you.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

I have to accept the lancets the surgery/pharmacy supplies and until this time has included in the prescription each time I put in the request for them. Yes I could buy mine separately but if the surgery chooses to issue them, why would I? My prescription request included lancets. This is just an example of ocean-going amazing inefficiency and I thought would amuse some of you.

I go to a transplant clinic every 3 months. My prescription for one of the immunosuppressants is only available from the hospital pharmacy. This time the expected wait was for 2 hours. What amused me was that the left hand queue takes patients to a registration clerk. On presenting my hospital card they wrote all my details down by hand! I stood there wondering "why do we have computers?" I don't blame the pharmacy staff.....

 

[Lamont D]

I go to a transplant clinic every 3 months. My prescription for one of the immunosuppressants is only available from the hospital pharmacy. This time the expected wait was for 2 hours. What amused me was that the left hand queue takes patients to a registration clerk. On presenting my hospital card they wrote all my details down by hand! I stood there wondering "why do we have computers?" I don't blame the pharmacy staff.....

for some unknown political reason, the computer system has not been upgraded for about 15-20 years!
I do often wonder.
our local hospital and walk in, surgeries were hacked a couple of weeks back, and many appointments were cancelled because of it.
where is the security?

 

[Grant_Vicat]

for some unknown political reason, the computer system has not been upgraded for about 15-20 years!
I do often wonder.
our local hospital and walk in, surgeries were hacked a couple of weeks back, and many appointments were cancelled because of it.
where is the security?

I am rapidly falling ino the abyss of grumpy old man. I often find myself thinking that it was better in the days of doctors with a fountain pen! In those days you could literally park outside the surgery door. Was security any better then, or did the population size cause less difficulty? Undoubtedly litigation has made life much more complicated for all of us.

 

[Outlier]

Just an update for anyone interested.....

I sent in another request (written and then put in the box designated for prescription requests) for test strips and lancets last week - it takes a week for the request to be processed though the pharmacy and surgery are next to each other. So obviously I ask for more supplies while I still have plenty of spares.

Guess what - I was supplied with test strips but no lancets. Pharmacy had not received the request for lancets despite my writing it on the same piece of paper (yeah, I know - Luddite). So I went into the surgery and ever so politely had a similar sort of discussion to last time, as in I apparently had never been issued with lancets, my request hadn't included lancets etc. ad inf. ad nause. Once again and ever so politely I engaged communication skills to explain how long I'd been testing my BG and how difficult that would have been without lancets. I'll spare you (and me) the full dialogue, but it was surreal. Finally the nice lady at Reception sent in a request to the pharmacy for me to have lancets, which included asking me what type - I said I didn't mind which type - she said I had only ever had one type and I assured her that for around 3 years I'd had the pen type with spare needles and last year I'd been changed to the capsule type - she said no I hadn't and we had another conversation where I was trying not to giggle while imparting important information. Anyway, she said she'd email the pharmacy (I resisted saying I would take it over myself as that would be quicker) and the lancets should be in after a couple of days (note today is Thursday so actually this will be after the weekend).

With my management skills at full steam, I said how could we work together to ensure this didn't keep happening, as this was now two consecutive occasions when it had, after 3 and a bit years of going smoothly. No useful reply was forthcoming as the reason my request for lancets hadn't been approved was because I'd never been issued with them.....

At which point I thanked her most charmingly for her help, and managed not to roll my eyes, because after all, she didn't make the system and none of it was her fault.

This show could run and run.......

 

[Rachox]

I would contact the practice manager about this recurring problem @Outlier , ask them to check the lancets are on your list of repeats.
Alternatively ask for access to your repeats on line. You will then see all your repeats listed, you can then check what’s there and request what you need.
I do all my repeats on line and have no problems, from request to collection from my nominated pharmacy (Boots) usually takes 3 days

 

[becca59]

Hopefully it’s a big box of lancets @Outlier and you won’t need any more for ages. I’m a type and haven’t ordered any in the last eleven years. Still working my way through the mistake the surgery made at my diagnosis by issuing three lots in quick succession. Still have oodles.

 

[Antje77]

Finally the nice lady at Reception sent in a request to the pharmacy for me to have lancets, which included asking me what type - I said I didn't mind which type

If you use the lancets with a fingerpricker I hope they'll order the correct brand for your pricker, they are all different.
If you use them without the device it doesn't make a difference of course, and it works just as well.

For what it's worth (not advice), my lancets work fine for months on end at testing an average of 4 times a day, I change lancets maybe 3 times a year.

 

[Melgar]

This is in no way helpful to your situation @Outlier , but what a difference my experience is. All my diabetes stuff is on prescription, paid for by my insurance company. The prescription comes with instructions to test twice a day (unlike some people in the UK who are told not to test, shocking) . My Dr asks if I have enough lancets and strips every time (embarrassingly I never change my lancet from one month to the next) .

When you have keep pushing to get the basics for diabetes control That‘s is not right. There are things I miss about the UK, but diabetes healthcare is not one of them.

 

[Grandadfatboy]

I thought the My GP app was just a gimmick by my surgery. However, I can use it to order my prescriptions. The good thing is, it keeps a record of my last 3 requests and current request, so when they mess up they can't say I didn't order them. If you have access to the internet look up NHS 111 and you will find the option to order an emergency prescription. Use that to try and get your lancets.