To not want to wait half and hour just to speak to the Dr's receptionist

[BrandNewAndImproved]

Im not sure why they only have one person on the desk and 4/5 in the back when the queue is always backed up to the door.

I've just waited half and hour to find out they have sent the repeat prescription I queued up 2 days ago for another half and hour to some random pharmacy I didn't sign up for.

AIBU you expect some sort of customer service instead of this. How is getting the bloody pill so frigging hard. I don't have hours of my day to waste on something that could be so simple. We're not allowed to ring up and order repeats either as it clogs the phone lines

Also because it is not clinically safe, probably. Very few practices allow telephone repeats these days. No paper trail.
As to the rest, it does sound rather disorganised and I'm a practice manager.

We can book appointments online but not order repeats. I may complain and ask for online repeats.

It's really disorganised but the actual appointment system is really good. I just don't want to waste hours of my life for eczema cream and contraceptive pills.

Do they have a suggestions box?

Bring your concern up with the practice manager.

Well I am a customer. If they didn't have patients there wouldn't be a practise and they wouldn't have jobs there.

It shouldn't be an annoyance and my prescriptions shouldn't be going all over the place. I signed up for the electronic proscription service they pushed on me, it was a complete shambles last time I used it and I very clearly asked the receptionist to take me off the scheme which she said she did and I asked the pharmacy to. My prescription didn't even go to the pharmacy I put down on the scheme.

Can I write to the practise manager? I really don't want to wait in that queue ever again!

Of course you can write to the practice manager.

I agree that you are not a 'customer' as far as the health service goes though; in current parlance you are a 'service user'

I've had a repeat prescription sent to a random unasked-for pharmacy as well. Not happened since though, I write 'COLLECT FROM SURGERY' on them with a red pen now!

dodo, if you want to have the 'send to pharmacy' option removed from your records, then ask reception to do that. If you write it on an individual prescription, then next one may still go to the chemist.

I wonder how many people here realise how many prescriptions are managed at a surgery every day?
We have just under 8000 patients and measure our prescription pile in inches. 3-4 inches is average, more on a Monday, less during school holidays.
We have very solid systems in place to ensure safe prescribing which may not always be the most convenient solution on every occasion for everybody.

With the queuing issue I'm physically fit and I'm not going there because I'm ill. But there are loads of ill and elderly people queuing. I don't think it's particularly fair on them to have to queue so long. I get recurrent tonsillitis so bad I've hallucinated, and been admitted to hospital numerous occasions. I can get a call back and the Dr will prescribe me antibiotics over the phone. Standing in that queue to get my prescription feeling like I'm going to throw up or feint any minute is to much. I've literally sat on the floor before.

I will write to the practise manager thank you.

Fifteen minutes waiting for the phone to be answered at my dads GP explained what I needed for him, he has Alzheimer's and had been sent out of hospital without being sorted but that's another story. Told they will call me back, this was Monday and I'd heard nothing so today I rang for a home visit. I'm afraid some are stretched to breaking point.

I'm afraid some are stretched to breaking point"

Yes, I fear that General Practice/Primary Care in the UK is dying. Or rather being murdered systematically. But that's maybe for another fred too.