Pharmacist reviewed my prescription?

[adultcat]

I live in a smallish village - the kind where everyone know each other (or thinks they do!). I serve my doctor and pharmacist where I work so am familiar with them.
Today, I went to collect my repeat prescription and was asked if I had five minutes to spare for the pharmacist to speak to me. We went off in the side room and he logged on to the computer. He then asked me if I was happy with my medication / any side effects. Asked me if I am happy with my contraception and what alternatives there were as I've stopped taking the mini pill as I wasn't getting on with it - he wanted to know why...!
The whole 'chat' felt really uncomfortable, possibly because I serve him as a customer but I was wondering if this is a done thing now? I thought it would be my doctors place to review my medication and check everything is ok?
Has anyone else had this done??

I can see that this review might be useful for someone who has a long term condition and hasn't seen a doctor for a while but I was asked to have one when being actively managed by the GP so it was unecessary as couldn't be as useful/in depth as the GP appt I just had the day before.

In my case I feel that it was a cynical move from the pharmacists to charge the NHS - I feel I was 'tricked' into taking the review as I was only asked 'The pharmacist needs to speak to you about your meds, do you have a few minutes?', suggesting there was some problem with them or some kind of warning she needed to give about dosage/interactions etc.

Once I told the pharmacist that this review was not appropriate for me she tried to persuade me to continue and finally said 'well I'll just mark you down as if you refused', as if I were an unruly child (I was a good 15 years older than her!!).

This article has some good detail about how pharmacies are taking money from the NHS.

www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/13/how-boots-went-rogue

Pharmacists working in the large corporate chains like boots are under pressure to meet MUR targets and due to this have been known to offer them to “easy” customers rather than the patients who would benefit most. This is why if you are pressured into this service and don’t feel you’d benefit then you should complain. Also support your local independent pharmacy!
But further to this the NHS does want pharmacies to provide these services providing they are directed appropriately. GPs are incentivised by the NHS in exactly the same way though. For example every time your GP pushes a coil or an implant rather than a contraceptive pill on you they are paid a tariff for providing long acting contraception. You aren’t obliged to take up these services but pharmacists are no more motivated by “profit” on NHS services than GPs are.

PassTheGinPlease Phamacy4u????? no way avoid them like the plague they were fined by the ICO for selling on patient data it was so serious the BMA wanted them prosecuted www.gponline.com/bma-calls-jail-sentences-pharmacy-found-sold-nhs-patient-data/article/1369293

They were targeting patients on my GPs list and sent me a form, I was shocked to note that if I had signed I would have agreed to give them access to my summary care records without ANY explanation as to what parts of the records they would access or who would be given access to them.

It was our pharmacist who spotted that one of my dh’s new pills was contraindicated with one of the old ones. He advised dh to contact GP and new pill was changed. We are so grateful for the intervention.

It can be useful. I was advised to take one of my meds at a different time of day to optimise it’s efficacy. GP just said once a day.

And certainly hope your pharmacist does review your prescription- GPS are human and make errors.

I have nothing but praise for the pharmacists where I go they have sorted out issues with my long term meds loads of times ( the GPs at my practice are of variable quality and don't seem to last long so consistency of care is a bit hit and miss but rural practice with no alternative so I'm stuck with them)
They have even spent lots and lots of time tracking down and ringing round for meds when there was a critical shortage so that I wouldn't miss a dose and have problems.
As I'm on lots of long term meds for chronic conditions and have been for 20 years I've had an annual review for at least the past 5years. It's always been fine, polite and when I was pregnant quite helpful.
Two of my meds now come directly prescribed by the hospital and are delivered by their nominated pharmacy companies (each one is different) and although they are very good on their own meds and support for them I do feel the need to be more vigilant and proactive about questioning everything as my very competent pharmacist is no longer keeping an eye on the whole of my meds.
OP I am in a village and there is also a village pharmacy which I avoid partially because of privacy issues (every one knows everybody else business mainly by eavesdropping and gossip), I go to the Lloyds pharmacy next to my local supermarket in the next town - parking is easy, the staff are fab and there is never a queue of local nosy busybodies.

I think he probably could have explained himself a bit better but apart from that don’t see the problem.

A pharmacist really went the extra mile for me when I was younger. I had been put on the contraceptive pill. The pharmacist has dealt with my mum for years as she has a history of thrombosis and a stroke. He immediately questioned the prescription which was then changed to the mini pill. He also suggested I get my blood screened as there may be no risk factors to me taking the pill, I did and I have APS - “sticky blood”. Also a pharmacist picked up that my 9 week old baby had been prescribed an adult dose of antibiotics. I don’t think we appreciate pharmacists enough.

If you do say no to answering their questions a pharmacist can refuse to dispense

So if I choose not to discuss my contraception choices with a pharmacist they can refuse to dispense the pill that I have already discussed with my GP? I'll have a problem in that case as only a GP will prescribe the pill for me, the practice nurses won't do it so I doubt a pharmacist would let me have it.

Have no issue with Medicines Reviews, think they are a good thing.

However I had a similar experience to OP - went to pharmacy, wasn't explained to me what was going on, no choice. With hindsight it was clearly a chain pharmacist wanting to get through for the income. Got v shirty with me when I said I didn't want meds reviewed and implied I had to have it (er, no and informed consent anyone?)

I know about my meds perfectly well thanks, being under consultant care for 2, seeing GP regularly and also a dr myself. Pharmacist was really not going to add anything but ££ to their wallet.

I have just asked my DH as he is on regular meds. He said that about once a year the pharmacists spends 5 mins asking about the meds, side effects etc.

This thread is ridiculous. How horrible to claim Pharmacists are failed doctors. That just shows how ignorant people actually are. GPs have made mistakes before and that's because they do not have the same level of knowledge about drugs as pharmacists do. Simple mistakes as saying paracetamol would be ok mixed with a certain drug when in fact it is NOT. Why are people being so precious about having a private conversation with a pharmacist (Who IS A TRAINED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL) when it will benefit you or pick up on something a GP would have missed. Also, why do some women feel perfectly fine talking to a male GP about their birth control but not a male pharmacist?

Do people really not realise that if something is wrong or there is some kind of error (even if it was the GPs fault) with their medications it is the pharmacist who will go down for it, potentially losing their license (yes, they do have to have a license) and even facing legal action?

To those commenting that pharmacists get paid for this service by the NHS and implying that somehow they are profiteering by doing reviews do you have any idea how GPs make money?

I don't think anyone is suggesting that pharmacists shouldn't be paid for the services they offer, just that they should be more transparent about the fact that that is what is happening when they ask you if you 'have a moment'.

But them having a review with you is part of their job. Yes, they get paid for the service but that's all part of the various services they offer. They are SUPPOSED to have these chats with paitents

As I said in my post the service should be explained properly at the point of delivery. My issue was in the implication that somehow pharmacies are doing this purely for profit not as part of their contracted requirement to the NHS.

Why do you seem to believe its purely for profit? They do actually have a responsibility to ensure you are taking the correct dosage, report any side effects, know about drug mixes ect. If they get some profit from it but also the patient benefits from it then why is it such a problem? Your GP doesn't have the knowledge to have these conversations.

why do some women feel perfectly fine talking to a male GP about their birth control but not a male pharmacist?

Probably because their GP is someone they know and are familiar with A pharmacist is likely to be a stranger, completely understandable not to want to discuss contraception in that situation.

@ImNotKitten but then how do they expect to get over them being a stranger if they never want to have a review and discuss it? The first time a woman met her GP he was a stranger but yet she spoke to him about....People can be so precious at times. Seriously, to assume that a pharmacist asking is inappropriate just because he is male. What a sexist attitude for women to have.

Also, if its the same pharmacist someone has been going to for years, specially in the OPs case where she knows him well as its a small village, they aren't a stranger than are they?

I work in a hospital and our pharmacists are our best friends. Their job is knowledge of medications and potential interactions. They prevent so many drug errors and complications. Often pharmacists have extended assessment and prescribing skills also. In other countries pharmacists routinely prescribe medications inc antibiotics which takes strain off GP services.

I think everyone on regular medications should have to see a pharmacist every so often. Lots of drugs can be stopped with time. Also a lot of people stockpile, the wastage is often uncovered when a person dies and the family bring in dustbin bags of unused tablets. Having some scrutiny of chronic illness medications can only be a good thing.

but then how do they expect to get over them being a stranger if they never want to have a review and discuss it? The first time a woman met her GP he was a stranger but yet she spoke to him about....People can be so precious at times. Seriously, to assume that a pharmacist asking is inappropriate just because he is male. What a sexist attitude for women to have.

The reviews aren’t compulsory. Women don’t have to discuss their contraception with anyone they aren’t comfortable with.

I've had it done often in tesco over the years, takes 5 minutes usually and there's nothing to it. They work with my FIL but I never for a minute think they'll discuss any of medication with him. The most they ever talk about with him is if my DD has been unwell and I've been in for calpol or antibiotics they ask him if she's feeling better. I don't mind that at all, I think it's nice that they care.

why do some women feel perfectly fine talking to a male GP about their birth control but not a male pharmacist?

Expectations. We all know we need to discuss things of this nature with GPs and may choose a female if we prefer.

We also understand that we may have to answer pharmacist questions to ensure that the meds are right for the individual.

However I had never heard of a mur and still do not understand the significance of why the OP was asked to explain stopping the mini pill. OP does not claim to have really valued this service?

A few posters have explained after asking these questions they were asked out by the pharmacist. That should make us all uncomfortable.

Lastly it is entirely possible that trained professionals are pushed into unnecessary reviews for the financial gain of the company. Not to say that reviews aren't valuable in some instances just the company profits need revenue.

I feel so bad for men these days. They are constantly scrutinised by so many women, like those on mumsnet. Women assuming they only have ill intentions JUST because they are a man when they are only trying to do their job. What a shame to have that kind of attitude in the world today. Men already are made to feel uncomfortable being teachers!