To complain about my drs, for only prescribing medication for 28 days

[Lardlizard]

Then when I say I need two months worth because of a holiday they have given two separate prescriptions.... rather than 46 tabs

One of the problems with the current system is that all drugs are treated with the same level of controls.

I take warfarin, a lot of it, to manage a blood clotting disorder. I can only order a month's worth at a time. This seems ridiculous to me. It isnt addictive, it has no street value (unless the ratcatchers are having a convention), the actual cost of my prescription is pence.

X post OhtheRoses yes, that’s annoying

“What is mildly entertaining is that since December 2016 my prescriptiin has said next review due Oct 2016. I haven't had a blood request form given since.”

I get this too!

Gnome doesn’t Warfarin require monthly blood tests? My late father had those - it might have changed since then, of course.

Where are you going on holiday for two months ?

It works both ways.

Point taken Schuyler but I'm in bed relaxing before getting up at 6am and the pharmacy closed at 7pm. I got home at 8.15pm. Will leave the house at 7.15am and they don't open until 9am.

What works both ways?

I appreciate dealing with doctors, pharmacies and medications is irritating and an annoyance but I don’t believe the NHS are being deliberately obstructive.
By the way, I recently started using a pharmacy that’s open at the weekend and it’s definitely less stressful with collecting meds and sorting things out.

Why would they be deliberately awkward? Do you really think a dr's surgery doesn't get enough awkward patients calling up as it is, without people being silly over little things like this? Get real 🤦‍♀️

I've had a heavy couple of weeks in the University teaching role I'm now in and I was becoming nostalgic about my previous job, but this thread has reminded me of all the reasons I left front line health care, so thank you for that, OP.

Wow, you seem rather hard work. No wonder no one wants to be a GP anymore

I've had a terrible battle between the hospital & the doctors. Thanks to the negligence of my GP surgery I suffered severe damage to my eyes, I went twice to the doctors, the first time they told me to see a pharmacist, the second time the doctor just wrote a prescription for conjunctivitis cream without even looking at my eyes, by the time I went to the optician I was half blind, the optician went mad & sent me straight to eye casualty, the result was I had scarring on both cornea due to severe dry eyes caused by medication I take for overactive bladder. The hospital prescribed two kinds of drops & gel to put in my eyes every night before going to sleep, one type of drops come in a pack of 30 individual vials, I have to use these 4 times a day for the rest of my life, my GP would only prescribe me 1 pack a month instead of the four packs I need. The gel I use at night I need 4 tubes as a tube only lasts a week, my Gp would not prescribe the branded version the hospital prescribed, only a generic version which after trying every pharmacy in my city is impossible to get, I asked my GP for the branded version & got told that they would not prescribe it, I spent a month going backwards & forwards on the phone trying to get it sorted, in the end I bought the branded gel on Amazon, it costs me £30 a month to buy. I finally got the vials of drops increased to 4 boxes a month but even after the hospital telling my GP that I needed the branded gel, they are still refusing to prescribe it.

Oh and if the cost of prescriptions is an issue may I point out I have an exemption certificate because I have thyroid disease so that really isn't the issue. But the exemption covers everything: painkillers, antibiotics, etc. Others with chronic life threatening conditions such as asthma don't get exemptions and that's wrong particularly if they are on low incomes.

even after the hospital telling my GP that I needed the branded gel, they are still refusing to prescribe it

CCGs do not allow GPs to prescribe branded medication. Hospitals know this and yet still tell patients to ask, thus making GPs looklike they are being difficult.

AutumnRose1 my blood is tested anywhere between every few days and up to 6 weeks but the testing has to be done at a path lab not at a doctors' surgery (it has to be tested within a couple of hours of being drawn otherwise it has gone lumpy!).

The testing/dosage is managed by the anti-coagulation dept. All my doctor has to do is sign the prescription. It would be a lot more convenient for all involved if I could get a bulk load of tablets.

As I said, warfarin is really cheap, far less than the prescription charge. The problem is the hassle of getting extra if my dosage goes up or if I want to be sure I have plenty to get through tricky periods like over Christmas when there can be delays in getting hold of a prescription.

I don't understand why GPs can't prescribe on a case by case basis.

I also don't understand how they have time to do six times what needs only doing once but hey if they have the time why are they constantly complaining they are overworked? There are so many efficiencies that could be made. Possibly halving the number of CCGs and the extra layer of bureaucracy they bring. Just think how much money could be spent instead on the people for whom the NHS is suppised to exist.

Its not a new thing years ago my doctor had to ask permission to give me 90 tablets it worked out around a month and a half of my medication because It was a waste of time telling me I needed to come back in 5/6 weeks to see if they were working and they couldnt prescribe me more than four weeks plus I couldnt reorder over the phone either....over 20 years later I'm still on the tablets

Gnome oh I see

OhtheRoses yes, I have asthma.

YABU because you clearly don't know the rules around prescribing laws. To blame your GP, when he is only following the rules is awful!

I have a number of "controlled drugs" on repeat prescription, and I cannot order them a week in advance or more, it's literally 3 days before I run out, I phone my surgery, they deliver the prescription to my regular pharmacy and I pick it up from there.

On occasion when my prescription has not been sent over, the pharmacy cannot give me anything until they have the prescription physically in their hands, and they know my regular meds and when they're due!

I've only ordered "double" once, when I was going to a destination wedding, and would run out whilst I was away. The doctor knew about my trip, as I needed some sleeping pills just incase, but like you, I was physically given 2 sets of prescriptions to sign...

It really didn't bother me, so I don't understand why you're making a fuss tbh.

This thread is absolutely full of non medics thinking they can solve all the problems cause my legislation and budget cuts.

No you can't have a 'bulk load' of Warfarin for your own convenience. If you were to mix up your medication and die then the GP would be at fault for randomly handing out boxes of all different prescriptions.

No you can't get free prescriptions because it doesn't match the cost of medication. Why did you go back and get another bottle when there was some left in the original!!

No it isn't just that easy to change a prescription or do it on a case by case basis. There are rules and regulations for a reason. GPs are at their limit and those who think they're owed something or the GP should chase you up to follow up YOUR OWN health care are fucking delusional.

You're all mental and I'm so glad I gave up my medical career. FFS.

@jomaIone I'm in Scotland, where we no longer have prescription charges for anyone... When we paid, I always had a prepayment certificate due to the number of medications I'm on...

Also, you have no idea what I or others on this forum do... So bit of a sweeping inaccurate statement to call them all non medics...

As for "You're all mental and I'm so glad I gave up my medical career. FFS." clearly if you were ever employed in health care, then with an attitude like yours I'm not in the least bit surprised that you no longer are! Perhaps you could be doing with some medication and counselling...

But Jomalone I'm perfectly happy to take responsibility for my health thank you. I'm not perfectly happy to with NHS inefficiencies though.

Perhaps we should be relieved that you gave up your medical career bearing in mind your language and the fact you feelbit aporopriate to refer to others as mental.

The NHS is inefficient and badly run and has zero respect for the time of patients. It is free only at the point of delivery and needs a complete overhaul.

It's free in Scotland and yet I need to go through the repeat prescription waste of time every 2 months. So not just to do with money. No wonder a lot of folk just buy stuff on the internet.

If it's a repeat prescription then I do not see why they can't give you 2 months worth, except for Controlled Drugs and the likes of Codeine which the max amount prescribed is 28 days.

Just read about your other complaint, your husband should be more than capable of reading the patient information leaflet inside the medication box, and read the instructions on the box. And this is your husbands medication so it's not your complaint to make. Stop being awkward. If you do not like the care, move practices .