To ask if you would report this to the practice manager

[Sevendaysaweek]

Dn usually gets two weeks worth of medication from our gp. She’s told me that some times the GP issue the proscription a week or even 9 days earlier. This leads to her having more medications than she should have. I’m worried they may be putting other vulnerable people at risk as surely they know when they last issued one.

You are allowed a repeat prescription 10 days before the existing one ends. So no I would not report this. It's normal practice.

@Sevendaysaweek

An extra weeks medication is quite a lot.

If she's over 18 they won't speak to you about anything anyway, she's an adult. What medication is it?

If you are concerned about her being an overdose risk, can you look after the needs that are issued early? Better having them early than late. My mum used to do that for my sister.

Only time I have complained to a practice manager was when the meds were incorrect - DH was given tablets to raise his blood pressure instead of lower it, if the pharmacist hadn't known DH had terminal lung cancer and a history of high blood pressure, we wouldn't have spotted it because you trust your GP. Turns out the clerk who was doing the prescriptions clicked on the wrong box in error, the GP was very apologetic but the practice manager wasn't that interested even though DH could have died.

*meds not needs.

I’d mind my own business.

YABU. This is normal practice, and as she’s an adult you should not be intervening on her behalf anyway.

If you are concerned about her over dosing can you have a chat to her and ask her to give you the extra medication to lock up somewhere until she needs it?

@PineconeOfDoom

How many threads are you going to post about your DN? You sound incredibly over-involved.

I thought I recognised this theme. Are you the same poster who posts about this frequently?

Ring the pharmacy ask if her meds are there. If they are then leave them there until your niece absolutely needs them.

My GP keeps posting messages that it is taking 10 days to do repeat prescriptions. I keep ordering earlier, and every time it is done within a couple of days.

But, I have to do it because I can’t risk being without the medication.

I’m not sure why you think vulnerable people are at more risk of having too much medication in their home than if they had too little.

But unless OP is her dns legal guardian the pharmacy cannot speak about the patient's medication

@Whenlifegivesyoulimoncello l have noticed this as well. You always seem unhappy with professionals involved in your DN and seem to want to make a complaint

She’s an overdose risk

Presumably she gets a months worth of medication at a time. If she is an overdose risk, surely that’s a problem too. No many medications would be fine to overdose on 4 weeks worth but not 5.

It might be useful to talk with someone for specialist advice, try calling Mind: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/.

Scripts can be posted dated so preventing people from having too many tablets too early. The script can be sent to the pharmacy but they can't dispense and give out before the date on the script. Alternatively the patient can pick up the script on the date specified to take it to a pharmacy to get it dispensed.

However as I am very much aware not all Receptionists in a practice all sing from the same hymn sheet. That's another thread for another day.

It’s quite usual for,people,to request their meds a week or so early.

Do,you have consent to talk about your niece? If so, can you ask gp to put her meds on a weekly batch? If so, the pharmacy will then only get one prescription per week.

Hi OP,

I work as a prescribing clerk in a GP surgery so I do understand exactly where you are coming from here.

If you are concerned about your niece overdosing then I would contact the surgery and tell them. They can then instruct the pharmacy not to release the medication any earlier than it's actual due date.

This is a common scenario and GP's and pharmacies should be well aware and able to provide a solution.

It is unusual for someone who is an overdose risk to have their medication this early so please do talk to the surgery.

But unless OP is her dns legal guardian the pharmacy cannot speak about the patient's medication

She can contact the surgery and make them aware of the situation. It is then down to the GP to decide the risk and make changes if they deem them necessary.

For some patients we provide 4 weekly scripts and send them to the pharmacy. The patient goes to the pharmacy on the day their meds are due and we put a note on the last script that they need to order the next 4 weeks scripts with the surgery.

I do.t understand. These prescriptions are just generated automatically get sent to pharmacy and she picks them.u

We have to apply for our repeats: put in a request, and then pick it up. If I put my morphine one in too early they won't do it because it's controlled. The others they will.

So your niece isn't asking for them? She needn't pick it up until she's ready if that's the case.

Are you sure that the single fortnightly prescription is not enough to OD on ?

Surely an ordinary prescription of just about any drug is enough to OD on if someone was that way inclined. A small supermarket packet of paracetamol contains enough to OD.

There are also problems with supply chains, so the GP/Pharmacist will be doing their best to fulfil prescriptions so people don't run short.
What would happen if your niece had no meds?

OP I take it your DN has form for overdoses. Has she taken many in the past? Along with other forms of self harm?

I've asked the practice manager and the associate pharmacy to help us better manage MiL's meds. She is prescribed twice as much painkiller as the doctor suggests she take. (why? well maybe just in case she should need something - I now have a large shopping bag of drugs that we need to return to the pharmacy as we've run out of storage space as I'll only keep 3 months' supply). She's also prescibed paracetomol which she takes rarely so I hve to dispose of those. What a waste of NHS funds.

On the other hand they will not allow us to pick up any of her meds until the day her last batch has run out. This means that someone has to go there on a specific day no matter what our health is and what else we absolutely need to get done that day. They refuse to prep her meds in advance at all under any situation.

They do the same with my DH's meds which means he runs out as they sometimes will include everything and sometimes not. If he goes in and they've missed something needs something they tell him he will need to come back in a week or go talk to the doctor (who of course cannot see/talk to him for X days.)

I’m on regular, lifelong medicine. I collect three months at a time. Are you suggesting everyone should only be allowed a few days worth of meds prescription?

Let your adult niece manage her own life. You sound overbearing/interfering.

If she is a suicide risk you should definitely flag it up with the clinic and ask for a review. Other than that I don’t think there is much you can do as you are not her legal guardian.