to not be at all surprised the NHS is in the state it's in when we have pharmacists doing this...

[Jux]

I have a load of medication on repeat which is managed by my local Chemist's shop. When I picked up my latest repeat, there was one missing, so it was flagged up via the pharmacy/surgery jungle drums and the pharmacist gave me a few to keep me going until the surgery faxed over the signed prescription. Which was delayed because the new gp wanted a further blood test in order to check the dose, so a couple of weeks later I had the blood test done and the missing tablets appeared at the chemist.

I picked them up and saw that I had been given a whole month's worth so while still in the chemist, I tried to give them back so they could take the extra ones out or so they could give me odds and sods to take me through to the next full repeat (only a week or so away).

No way would they take them. Far too much trouble apparently, not worth it. I should take as many as I need until the next month's prescription comes through and bring back what isn't used.

Now I know, and I'm sure most know, that once you've left the chemist clutching those pills, there's not a damn thing they can do with them if you bring them back, except destroy them; presumably safely disposing of them costs money too.

So that's the cost of the unneeded drugs I have in my house now, and the cost of disposing of them safely when I take them back; and I bet that's repeated throughout the country.

Why? They could have taken half the pills out there and then and they'd have been safe to use for the next prescription. What am I missing?

[Roomster101]

flipping I do her shopping for her? so it would be just as easy and way cheaper for me to pick up the supermarket paracetamol than to have it on the NHS scrip. there must presumably be a large number of other elderly people in a similar situation - scrip price £8.40, supermarket price 30p.

The NHS doesn't pay anywhere near that much for paracetamol!! It's just a few pence plus a small dispensing fee. If you want to buy it for your mother yourself she can ask them to take it off repeat. Noone is forcing her to have it on prescription!!

[readyforapummelling]

I’ve been a pharmacist for 11 years. We really do get the bad end of the stick, a PP poster mentioned how “pharmacists months are 28 days” but that’s simply because the doctors prescribe 28 tablets. It’s a PITA for us having to cut 2 tablets out of a packet of 30 but it has to be done.

The reason the pharmacy didn’t take the medication back is because it’s on your repeat prescription - they will get used and it would cost more in staff time re-dispensing. It’s not a simple case of having to pull a strip out and hand it back. Records have to be adjusted and re-checked. If it’s something like Amlodopine or another usual monthly med chances are you would have saved the NHS about 12p.

[WellThisIsShit]

Ah I should point out that all of the (many and continuing) mistakes I’ve had to deal with come from the GP practice, not the pharmacy.

Since the pharmacy have started to order a lot of my prescriptions, they catch a lot of the errors but because of the system usually need me to sort out with the gp.

At least my quality of life has gone up a bit as I don’t interact quite as much with the awful and upsetting staff at the practice, and have some nicer interactions with the polite
and knowledgeable pharmacists who actually try to get the right medicines to me and don’t do the stone walling unhelpfulnes that results in a direct impact on my health.

I love my pharmacists!!!

[Sirzy]

It’s a PITA for us having to cut 2 tablets out of a packet of 30 but it has to be done.

Ds is prescribed a build up drink, it comes into the pharmacy in trays of 30 but I have had to fight the GP to prescribe 60 a month instead on 56 meaning the phamacy staff had to waste time counting and bagging up the drinks rather than just doing a quick check and handing over the whole tray!

[BatShite]

I have on more than one occasion, heard the staff in the chemist recommend to people that they get paracetamol on prescription as its 'free' In our doctors there are signs up everywhere asking people to just spend the 50p on paracetamol as apparently whats wasted on paracetamol prescriptions could fund 2k nurses for a year or something like that

Infact, when I bought calpol for my daughter not long ago, the person serving me told me I was stupid for doing so as I can get it for free due to her being only 5. It was only 3 quid, fairly sure bothering to put in a prescription to save 3 quid would cost the NHS a lot more than that. Have no issues with people who are really struggling using that scheme, but I really do not think it should be recommended to people who are just going to pay..

I am not really seeing the problem in your OP, however.

[Roomster101]

I have on more than one occasion, heard the staff in the chemist recommend to people that they get paracetamol on prescription as its 'free' hmm In our doctors there are signs up everywhere asking people to just spend the 50p on paracetamol as apparently whats wasted on paracetamol prescriptions could fund 2k nurses for a year or something like that

Yes, it would be good if people who could afford it, bought paracetamol rather than had it on prescription even if exempt from charges e.g. well off pensioners. It's not really something the NHS can police though. The best they can do is ask people to buy it as your GP is doing.

[Jux]

Readyforapummelling, thank you for your explanation. I do realise I was being thoroughly unreasonable.

I actually love my little chemist. In the past, they have gone above and beyond and are quite often our first port of call. They have saved me the trouble of going to the doc many times, for which I am extremely grateful. I have mis-judged the new pharmacist, and considered her to be more of a ‘jobs worth’ than the old pharmacists, and I was wrong.