Is there a supply issue with prescription medication generally?

[user143677434]

Purely anecdotal, and based just on one pharmacy, but I was really surprised today.

I popped into Boots to pick up a prescription and there was a queue of about 20-25 people (usually 0-3).

Pretty much every person was in discussion with the pharmacy assistant when they got to the front of the queue.

As I got nearer, I could hear what the assistant was saying and for nearly every person they were saying there was something on their prescription they weren’t able to get.

One they couldn’t give the full amount prescribed and the person was to come back for more next week (patient protested that this already was them coming back).

For another one they could supply one of the items prescribed but not the others, and couldn’t then give the person the prescription back to fill elsewhere.

With more than one they were explaining they could order the item, but didn’t know how long it would take to come in, with the patients protesting that there had never been a problem before.

Is this a general problem, or is my local one just having strange issues? I felt very sorry for the poor harassed assistant and pharmacist, but more so for the people who couldn’t get their prescriptions, one of whom was in tears!

I haven't been able to get my medication this year. All my pharmacist can tell me is supply issues.

I keep having to get a new prescription every 30 days, for it to be cancelled every 30 days due to the drugs not being available.

We had awful trouble getting Desmomelt (for incontinence) for ds this week.

Never had trouble before, always just popped into the pharmacy attached to the GP. They were out of stock. Thought oh well, try the next nearest. Out of stock.

Tried 5 pharmacies until I gave up driving around and went home to call them. Had to call another 7 before I found one that had them in stock, ten miles away.

I must be very lucky as I have had no problems getting my prescriptions. I take 4 tablets (blood pressure and anticoagulant) in the morning and a statin in the evening. These tablets are on a repeat prescription and I get two months supply at a time. I also take two paracetamol and two tramadol 3 or 4 times a day for pain relief, these are also on a repeat prescription for a month at a time, 200 tablets. So my pharmacist knows me very well!

The pharmacist ask for 7 days notice from receiving the prescription to collecting it, used to be 4 days but during Covid the systems changed. They always have my prescription ready if I wait at least 5 days.

I go online to order the meds about a week before I run out, cannot get them earlier than the date specified on the app although if I add a note explaining about bank holidays etc, I sometimes get them a day or so earlier.

I have an annual medication review to go through my meds and also a blood test and blood pressure check. I feel very well looked after but I understand that trying to get a face to face appointment is still not easy.

I have a pre-payment certificate. I don't pay any more if I get one month's supply or two month's at a time. I press a button on my phone when the app calculates I'm about to run out of any of the three medications I need and it gets posted through my letter-box a couple of days later. It seems to work pretty seemlessly.

Yes. DD works in a pharmacy and there is definitely a supply issue. Also, doctors keep prescribing medication that has been discontinued in spite of being notified by the pharmacy several times.

There is a supply issue with a lot of OTC medication as well - liquid paracetamol being one.