Bloody repeat prescriptions?!!!

[waterjungle]

Right I need to vent!
Does anyone else have a constant nightmare getting repeat prescriptions?
I have just changed doctors as I have moved house.
Registered at new surgery, they told me to order my repeats from my old surgery to cover the time it takes to get me on their books. I go to do this only I can't as new surgery has taken over my records.
Go to new surgery, find I can't order as I am not registered in their new system. Try and register on new system only to be told via a bounce back email that I can't do that for my first repeat. My first repeat will take 5 working days to be processed.
No where to mark as urgent as I am not yet granted access to their system.
Call the surgery they tell me to call back the next day. Spend 3 hours trying to get through to prescription line to be told that I need to mark it as urgent but as it's painkillers they don't class it as urgent. Explain the situation and that Ive been trying to get it processed since last week. They say it's been with the pharmacy team for 3 days and they can't say wether it will or will not be processed by the weekend.
No they can't speak to the pharmacy team.
No they can't mark it as urgent as it's only painkillers.
No I can't speak to the pharmacy team either
No there is nothing they can do
No there is nothing I can do ....expect maybe phone back tomorrow, maybe it will be done maybe it won't.
I've been trying to avoid this happening for almost 2 weeks. Does anyone else have this problem with getting the medication they need or is it just me that feels like they are screaming into a void?

My husband had the exact same issue. We moved house and registered with a new GP. New GP referred him to old GP an hour away who told us he couldn't do it as we'd moved and the new GP had a duty of care to us. DH went through the online system twice to request a repeat prescription as they lost his first request and then some snooty receptionist chastised him and made him so angry by refusing to help. He ended up getting it by persevering and threatening to reporting them to the governing bodies but they have no right to deny you any medication regardless of what it is if you need it. Their processes are ridiculously antiquated and they don't use their common sense, I'd hoped that my DH was a one off. I'm really sorry to hear you've had a similarly terrible experience and hope you get your medication soon. Failing that you may need to go to an urgent care centre and say you had no other choice as you're in a lot of pain and need help.

It's frustrating 😖 when we moved I waited until the day I picked a month of medication from the pharmacy until I changed doctors to give me plenty of time for the next lot. I'm surprised that the new surgery didn't tell you to do that before registering

hellzbellz25
They did, but they told me to go and get a special request from the old surgery. I did that the day after and I had already been removed! Then it took me two days to get hold of the surgery as their prescriptions line is only open a few hours a day. So my prescription has been sat with them since last week.
Apparently no one is allowed to ask the pharmacy team if it can been put through before the weekend as painkillers aren't urgent! I run out after today so that is going to be at least 3/4 days with nothing.

We moved almost 3 weeks ago and need to change doctors but have just ordered my daughters repeat prescription from the old doctors now before we do it as i was worried something like this might happen. Thankfully we're only about 5 miles away so able to travel back to collect from a pharmacy near there. I've got about 6 weeks of my repeat prescription so hopefully we'll be transferred before that runs out...

This is bollocks. If it is urgent, and they have the prescription then it can be done straight away or no later than the next morning if they have to order stock in. I don't understand how is it taking them so long to process?
Is this a pharmacy that is part of the surgery? Have you been in to speak to them in person?
You don't have to use that pharmacy. They have to send it to any pharmacy that YOU choose to have it dispensed from.

I need a repeat on my pill.

But they've told me I need a blood pressure reading first. Which they're not doing. Told me to go to the pharmacy who would do it.
Phoned 4 local pharmacies- nope. They don't.
So now I have to order & buy a blood pressure monitor online. (About £30) And then I can fill in the form, and then they'll do my repeat. Luckily I can afford £30. What happens to those that can't?

It usually takes 3 days. By the time I've got the monitor & had it delivered, and re-done the prescription request, it'll be about 10 days. Fortunately that'll be in time (just).

britnay
It's the pharmacy team at the doctors surgery. I've been told by the local pharmacy a few weeks ago that they were taking 10 days to process prescription requests! I can't order painkillers 10 days early the surgery will think I'm eating them like sweets!

Your old surgery doesn't remove you, as soon as the new surgery register you then you are taken off the other one automatically, they should have told you not to hand the forms in until you had a month of medication in your hand from the old place! At least you know for next time not that it helps you now

You might be able to take the packet to your pharmacy and ask for an emergency supply. They have to record it in a book, then they get the GP surgery to back-prescribe it.

It may not help overcome this issue but I have found the Co-op online pharmacy service great for repeats. The App issues a reminder and you can track the process of the order and see if it gets stuck at the Dr's approval stage. Plus they don't run out of stock and in my experience the whole process is days quicker than doing it locally. It beats watching the 16 yr old work experience kid in our local pharmacy rummaging hopefully in a huge box of white bags and then relaying a conversation between you and the pharmacist.

10 days just to go through the pharmacy?!
We ask customers to allow 3 days from when the repeat slip goes to the surgery.
Absolute madness. They MUST however be able to process urgent prescriptions, otherwise they are failing to supply.

I just feel bloody ashamed that I need them. I feel ashamed for asking and I feel ashamed when I have to spend almost three hours a day calling the surgery only to be told that they are not urgent. I feel judgement because they are painkillers.
At the same time it's not my fault I had my injury, not my fault that the operation that was meant to cure it didn't work completely and not my fault that I am in pain so much. I don't even take the maximum dose.
It feels like there is a stigma around needing pain relief. The attitude being you can just bloody wait for it and be in pain, it's not like you are going to die.

This is what 99% of my experiences with the health "service" are like. Which is super when you're managing complex illnesses and those shitty, thoughtless, careless interactions with people who never pause to consider the impact of their actions upon you and that make you feel like an insignificant waste of space dominate your life.

I have no strong feelings though.

It feels like there is a stigma around needing pain relief. The attitude being you can just bloody wait for it and be in pain, it's not like you are going to die.

I think it's a disgusting attitude. The only people who should feel shame are the HCPs failing you and needlessly jeopardising your welfare.

Leaving people without adequate pain relief is inexcusable and inhumane. You have nothing to feel ashamed for.

Because of the attitude of one or two doctors before I'm worried that if I kick up a fuss and say I need them they will think I am acting like an addict and stop them.
But I do need them. I need them for the exact reason they are prescribed - pain relief.

@waterjungle

Because of the attitude of one or two doctors before I'm worried that if I kick up a fuss and say I need them they will think I am acting like an addict and stop them. But I do need them. I need them for the exact reason they are prescribed - pain relief.

I know exactly how you feel with that, last year without warning, one of the GPs at my practice decided to cut off all my repeats because I was due a review, which I didn't realise. I only found out when I put a repeat in, and it didn't turn up in the pharmacy, that my request had been declined. I had to chase it up to find out why. It was for painkillers that I really really need, I couldn't even manage to walk to school some days. I had to kick up a fuss with the practice manager but was really scared in case I was assumed to be an addict! In the end they approved me for 56 pills rather than the usual 100 that they prescribe, to see me through to my review, but declined my migraine meds until that, which was very unhelpful. Hope you get it sorted.

@user17425642134531

It feels like there is a stigma around needing pain relief. The attitude being you can just bloody wait for it and be in pain, it's not like you are going to die.

I think it's a disgusting attitude. The only people who should feel shame are the HCPs failing you and needlessly jeopardising your welfare.

Leaving people without adequate pain relief is inexcusable and inhumane. You have nothing to feel ashamed for.

This.

OP can you speak to a local pharmacist (not the pharmacy department of your GP surgery) for advice? You'd be surprised what they can do, especially if you go to a small local pharmacy rather than a big branch of Boots. They can get in touch with your previous pharmacist if you had a regular one, and they can send information through. They can sometimes be more helpful than your GP.

If there's anyone reading this who's about to change surgery, before doing so you can ask your current place to send you an official document with a list of your medication, which you can then hand in to your new place along with the registration documents. It helps get your records updated more quickly.

@tectonicplates thank you, I'll do that for myself and my daughter.

My doctor wouldn't repeat my pill - noone would give me an answer why and I couldn't get to see him as there were 'no appointments'. I had to wait 6 weeks for the nurse to come back off sickleave to get it repeated! Even she couldn't work out why he wouldn't renew it - i'd just gotten to the point where it stopped my heavy and painful periods too so had to start it all over again.

He rang me over lockdown (the first one) to tell me that he was stopping medication because my incurable condition should be cured by now as I've been on the medicine for a good couple of years. (nice nurse sorted it out again!)

He was also stopping another medicine that I absolutely could not have and should not have under him apparently... now when I get my repeats I get 2 of the alternative one - and 2 of the original one that i apparently could not have!

I know I should leave but I stay for Friday!Doctor as he is fabulous and truly understands and helps.

Will the chemist issue with an emergency supply if you show them your prescription, boxes with labels. Might just get you through the weekend

Sympathies op. It's so annoying that Drs surgeries can be like this. I really do think it's time to reform or remove the GP system - total waste of time.

And I used to work at one!

Nope, that's not been our experience.
I asked old GP ahead of the move and she made sure we both got extra supplies of all medications to take with us, in case there was any registration/supply gap between old and new GP services in different health authorities. There was a delay transferring our records, but we didn't run out.

In hindsight you should have made sure to get your medication before you moved practice. Unfortunately you are now in a bit of a limbo situation but your new practice should be arranging for your painkiller prescriptions. They do have a duty of care towards you and your medication should be issued and then you would normally have a review at your new practice to make sure the prescribing is appropriate. It more than likely will take longer to fulfill at the chemist right now because the lead up to Christmas is always the busiest period. I would avoid chemists attached to healthcentres if possible as they are always going to be busier than average.