Our GP surgery is going paperless.

[HelenaDove]

Found out today. From now on we have to write whatever meds we have on a sheet of paper along with our name and address and drop it in the box and it will be done electronically to the pharmacist of our choice. I find this a bit worrying tbh. DH is on a lot of meds for 3 health conditions and im worried there will be cock ups.

Has anyone else experienced what a paperless surgery/prescription service is like?

What happens if your pharmacist hasn't got everything you need (which happens to my mother often)? Rather than then going to another pharmacist you'll have to wait until they've got it in surely?

I'm not keen on the idea, I'd rather hold on to my paper prescription and pop in to whatever pharmacist I happen to be near at any given time.

I'm sure you can choose to collect a paper script. You may have to accept that it will take longer though.

That sounds alarming that you have to write your meds down yourself.

What about people with dementia or LDs?

CatsMother.....thats what im worried about. DHs meds are for a heart condition arthritis and emphysema. A shortage or a cock up could mean a trip to A and E or a first response paramedic having to bring a nebuliser type machine to our home.

An excellent point Jack.

Curvy i was told NO they are in the process of phasing it out now.

We had to consent to moving over to electronic prescriptions. I refused to consent for DS to be moved over. I had to stop them being sent direct to the pharmacist after a few occasions of the prescpriton being wrong so now I like to be able to check it in the surgery and then errors can be identified at that point.

That sounds odd. I'm a GP, we are just introducing electronic prescribing but no plans to phase out paper entirely. I would write to the practice manager to clarify.

I type my AD prescription into our online prescription request system. I know I'm doing it right, but I doubt they'd just take my word for it, I'm sure the doctor checks.

We can select if we want to collect from the surgery or the pharmacy. The pharmacy takes an extra day, I assume they collect after 2 days and order in what they don't have to 've there the next day (every time I've been in and either been told my prescription needs ordering, or heard them tell someone else, they always say next day).

We were also told not to put scripts in too early.

The run up to Christmas will be interesting. There is an extra bank holiday this year as Boxing Day is on a Saturday.

Our surgery is paperless. I put the request in online and then pick it up from the pharmacy. If you are writing them down on a paper request then what's the point as it's exactly the same amount of paper? The pharmacy print it out anyway for you to sign (well they do here) when you pick it up so presumably they'd be able to give it to you to take elsewhere? You'd have to ask. Can you not always have so long 'in stock' at home rather than ordering just when you are about to run out in case of cock ups/not in stock?

It's not paperless is you have to write the request out though, is it?
We order ours online and it gets sent to the pharmacy electronically.

I'm familiar with it from both sides, as a patient myself with a chronic condition and as a HCP.

It's much more efficient and saves to-ing and fro-ing between the pharmacy and the surgery.

You will still have a repeat "prescription" side when you collect your meds so you can tick what you need and drop it in to the surgery the next time you need your prescription. Most now offer an online option so you can request repeat medication online.

It is 'signed' electronically by the GP and sent electronically to the pharmacy of your nomination. This means it can be done many times a day by surgeries rather than pharmacy staff doing a physical collection of paper scripts once or at most twice a day. It should mean your prescription is ready for collection a bit quicker.

You can opt out and still have paper scripts but it's not as environmentally friendly!

The elderly and those with dementia etc can still have their regular repeat prescriptions handled by the surgery and pharmacy so they don't have to get involved. It just gets delivered as and when it's due, with any changes and monitoring done by the surgery staff.

IME it works very well.

Carne thats what i thought. How is it paperless if we are still having to use paper to write meds down on.

Do they not have an online repeat prescription system? I just log on, tick what I need and it all appears at the pharmacy two days later...

My GP surgery managed to cock up my paper prescriptions. There are fewer errors on the new electronic system.

I still have a paper copy of my repeats though. Wouldn't the pharmacy give them to you?

They do but we prefer not to do it online. There have been cock ups as it is

The doctors do still check, we have the same system and I spelt one of my daughter's medications wrong last week and the GP rang me to clarify. It works really well, and it actually helps as our pharmacy prepare the medication before you collect it so anything missing is ordered in right away. It now means I only have one trip each time rather than having to go back to collect the bits they didn't initially have in stock.

We have on-line ordering at our GP surgery - but the surgery is a rural practice so dispenses its own medicines. You still get a paper copy of your repeat request when you collect your order though in case you need to refer to it or want to order manually. I would be lost without the paper copy as I carry one of DDs around with me. She is on multiple medications (goes on to 4 pages on the repeat) and when she is admitted to A&E in an emergency I need to be able to produce the medication list for the Doctors. I could access it on my phone - if the blardy hospital had wifi but you can't even get a phone signal in most parts of our hospital.