to not understand why we settle for things as a nation (prescription related)

[TransplantedScouser]

I have a very low level underlying condition (reflux).

I used to phone each month to the doctors to get a repeat prescription.

then they said, go onto batch. We send the prescription over to the pharmacy every six months and all you have to do is collect it each month. Now, bearing in mind you used to get 3-6 months prescriptions in one go so having to do it monthly was a pain in the backside this was a good thing.

Everything worked well for a couple of years.

Went to pick up my latest prescription yesterday - not ready.

Apparently you now have to phone the pharmacy 7 days before you want to collect it to ask them to make the batch up.

I have to admit this sent me a little bat shit. what is the time saving in that? I may as well just phone the doctors every month for a repeat prescription if I'm going to have to phone the pharmacy anyway.

They have taken a system that worked well and basically regressed back.

the pharmacist said "Well the batch was just to save the doctors time having to write a prescription each month".

So, AIBU to think this is another case of the NHS being set up for the convenience of the staff and not the patient?

After this batch I'm going to get a private prescription and cancel my NHS pre pay.

I can get a six month prescription including the fee for the doctor doing it for less than six months pre pay costs me. And I only have to worry about it twice a year.

We have hardly got the only health care system in the world that is free at the point of use and we absolutely should compare ours to other countries. It costs us billions in tax!

Sorry to hear that, Trufflypig. It is rubbish to be in the line of fire like that.

We recently moved (within Scotland) and our new, much larger, GP has a brilliant app where you order repeat prescriptions and book appointments etc. You can organise physio and access other (private) recommended services like chiropodist etc.

We set it up on DH's phone for MiL and he sits at her table once in a while with the app open and they order what she needs.

I pick mine up but MiL has her stuff delivered to the house which is a free service anyone can use but which really suits her because she is now disabled.

The only change during the pandemic is you can't book appointments as you need to get one via reception and it is phone triage with a GP or a nurse.

It is bloody brilliant. Prescriptions are free in Scotland but I would happily go back to buying an annual 'season ticket' as it is so easy and puts me in control of what I need and when.

@allthegoodusernameshavegone

Non covid appointments and operations are still going ahead in uk.

Not where I live in the Midlands. I know three people who have had operations cancelled, someone who has had treatment for cancer delayed and you cannot get an appointment for anything non life threatening. E.g. I have a frozen shoulder just have to put up with the pain.

I think another reason the GPS are doing this was concern about supply of meds with covid / Brexit affecting things so making sure some people didn’t have stock piles of meds while others had none.

I order my repeats through the Evergreen app. It sends through to the surgery, they send electronically to the pharmacy, I pick up. So easy.

I send an email for my daughter's repeat prescription, takes about a minute. The pharmacy have been brilliant as usual, very grateful for them, and our lovely prescription clerks as well.
It is monthly now (used to be 3 monthly but that was direct from her consultant).

Most gp's (unless they are dispensing practices in rural areas) or other doctors have little idea about the supply chain in normal times let alone covid, brexit or bad weather. Also they do not lovingly hand deliver each prescription to the pharmacy as many patients believe "has Dr wonderful brought my prescription round yet?"
Most pharmacies do not have the space to keep three months supply of every possible medicine that they have bought from suppliers in the off chance that the op may wander in at two minutes before closing time and expect to be ready.

They started doing 28 day prescriptions as it was found that people were over ordering medicine that they often didn't need or use.

I just prescribe online and it's sent to my pharmacy. Easy.

@TheChineseChicken

Use Pharmacy2U

I really wouldn't recommend them at all. I know someone that gets wrong prescriptions every month, including getting someone else's prescriptions. Not a correct delivery in 6 months of using them.

This is one area that a totally overstretched NHS can still manage to get you your valuable medication. It's a cut that causes slight inconvenience. UABmassivelyU!

Ditto to not using pharnacy2u. We stopped using them as it was nowhere near as good as the local service (I subscribed to them when my Dad was miles away but it's much better to use the local pharmacy now that he's here with us).
The key thing is really not to leave prescription requests to the last minute.

So you have to phone the chemist and pick up a prescription once a month? Is there any actual point to this thread? Would you like the CEO to come and hand deliver your tablets? You're getting what you need. You're being picky for no reason.

So basically, you went from having to do a phonecall every month, to having to do a phonecall every 6 months... And you're mad about that? 🤦‍♀️

Oh I re-read. But still.

Making 1 phonecall a month is hardly an unacceptable amount of effort is it?

So you have to phone the chemist and pick up a prescription once a month

Dp has to phone the doctor to get a prescription and if he doesn’t go down and collect his prescription then it might or might not get to the chemist.
I have gone to collect his medication and ended up running from chemists to doctors then back to chemists then back to doctors to try and track where the prescription is.

Dp has no spleen so is permanently on antibiotics.
The chemist decided as he had been prescribed antibiotics the previous week he didn’t need them again.

Then you have the problem of the prescription being correct or even if the chemist have made up the medication it is not guaranteed that the chemist will be able to find it. One time they found his insulin in a bag on the floor (supposed to be refrigerated) so he had to go back to the doctors for another prescription as the chemist wouldn’t prescribe again.

It shouldn’t be this difficult

I use the Echo app. Request prescription, GP approves at his end and it arrives by 1st class post a couple of days later.

OP I don't think YABU - I had a very similar thing happen to me and wonder whether we have the same pharmacy in fact.

If I wanted to make a phone call and pre-book every month i'd get it off the bloody doctor like i did before. The whole point of switching to a pharmacy was that I didn't have to do that. Pharmacies haven't exactly been Pandemic Heros !

I've switched to Echo now. Brilliant service.

The thing is with Dp’s prescription he used to request 3 months at a time and could put down exactly what he would need.
Now he gets a certain amount for supposedly one months supply but there are unnecessary medications added to the prescription. They won’t take them off. So Now he stands in the chemist and hands back several packets/boxes of stuff and they then throw them in the bin.
It is so wasteful

I have my repeat prescriptions delivered by RXLive. I have no contact with the gp dispensary. You pay unless your prescriptions are free.

As someone who works in a pharmacy, this has deflated me. I’m actually considering leaving the profession because of the lack of appreciation we receive and comments like this just prove we’re not respected at all.
I would say that actually, we’ve been pretty fucking brilliant during this pandemic. Remained open throughout with a massively reduced number of staff, a quadrupled workload because of people over-ordering medication unnecessarily, a huge increase in urgent just in case/end of life prescriptions for our care homes, providing more OTC advice than ever, providing dental advice while the dentists were closed, providing prescription delivery service to over 300 patients with only 4 drivers, COVID-positive patients still coming into store to buy remedies... the list goes on and on. Please respect pharmacy staff, we might not be on the wards but we’re still extremely valuable.

Pharmacies haven't exactly been Pandemic Heros !

I have never wanted to punch anyone through my phone so much!!!

How do you think the nation has been getting its medication for the past year? Magic??

Workload has trippled, staff absent due to isolation/sickness, quadruple the number of deliveries, very little help from the government. Extra abuse from the public (I had to call the police 3 times in two months). Increased demand for advice and consultations due to other sectors being closed. Idiots coming in with Covid or when they should be isolating endangering everyone who works there.

You'd last about 5 minutes in the profession I reckon!

So Now he stands in the chemist and hands back several packets/boxes of stuff and they then throw them in the bin.
It is so wasteful

They wouldn't do this if he was still in the pharmacy, so long as they haven't left the medication can be returned to stock. If he leaves then comes back with it then it has to be destroyed.

Actually I completely agree with you OP.

The NHS is a service and should be aiming to deliver the best possible service to customers. However because it is the only free way to receive those services it isn't always motivated to provide the best customer service and instead provides the lowest cost service. Which if you're comparing Emirates with Ryanair you'll know results in shit customer service at rock bottom prices.

However now you have realised you can get a better service privately for less you're absolutely right to opt out of the poor free service.

May I ask how you get a private prescription please? I've had a similar issue with life long preventative medication going to monthly from 3 monthly. I don't think going to a pharmacy monthly is the safest option at the moment. And honestly I don't want to waste time I didn't used to have to waste. I've made a written request for 3 monthly and I got 2 monthly but I'm annoyed by the reduction in service and was balking at tripling the price!

I have to phone at least 5 working days in advance, drive over half an hour to collect my ds's perscription , as they are controlled drugs can't be posted , and local camhs is closed, gp can't prescribe then drive to chemist..

So yes moaning about a phonecall a month seems extreme