Pharmacy charging for contraception

[AddisSon]

I posted in chat but no response.
AddisSon

I have spent almost a week trying to get through to my doctors surgery to get a new prescription for my pill. Every time I ring I am something ridiculous like number 62 in the queue. Finally after spending all day on the phone on Thursday (while at work) I got through and was told by reception in order to get a new prescription I needed a telephone “review” by the nurse.

The nurse rang me a few hours later asked me what I wanted. I told her I needed a new pill prescription she said fine where did I want my prescription to go. I told her my local Boots in the town where I live and she said no problem it will be ready within 24 hours. I repeated back Boots and the town and she said yes.

I go to Boots pharmacy today and they don’t have the prescription. Pharmacists asks for my NHS number and when he checks he says the prescription has gone to a Lloyds pharmacy and as it’s part of their online pharmacy will be sent to my home address.

I asked him to check and he said yes that’s definitely where’s it’s gone. I asked him if I could have a weeks supply of my prescription to keep me going as I am about to run out. He said yes but I’d have to pay. I queried this as contraception is free but he said his pharmacy “would lose money” by giving it to me.

Luckily I can afford to pay £9.50 but what about people that can’t. What if I was a young girl with no money or a woman in a violent relationship with no easy access to cash who needs that prescription and can’t afford an unplanned pregnancy.

Why do we need a prescription any way? My so called telephone review was a “what do you want” and when I had to have a pill check last time the nurse asked me no questions, didn’t weigh me or take my blood pressure just printed out the prescription and handed it to me. What’s the point?!

Contraception (all medication) costs money without an NHS prescription. I got a private prescription for the pill once because I needed a years worth (going travelling). But sounds like something went wrong getting your prescription to the pharmacy :(

@Rumplestrumpet with respect, the fact that you haven’t used contraception in years has clearly led to you being misinformed.

This is one person’s bad experience; a vocal minority. The majority of women do not have to “jump through hoops”. I am on the depo provera; my GP administered my injections throughout the pandemic whilst face-to-face appointments were suspended. I certainly don’t feel like the system is misogynistic.

With the pill, millions of women manage their prescriptions without issue. This situation arose from a culmination of sloppy preparation on both sides. OP certainly could have taken different steps.

Medication reviews are vital. A lot can change in a year eg new medications interacting with the pill. Leaving it as a “reminder/optional” for patients could lead to illness.

Have you not considered that contraception being “open to almost no misuse” is due to the medicine being regulated?

You should be able to get a year's worth at a time for a start and ideally you should be able to collect it from pharmacies or order online for free, with a reminder to see your GP every year or so for a check up. Why do we think we can't trust women to make informed choices about their bodies?!?;

You can get year's worth online or collect. Mine is £60. That's why I pay. Convenience, more at once and no faff. My GP has on file what I am taking and when I get there once a year, we can change it. They just check if I am still on them. I didn't even have a gp for years so I just started buying them after sexual health clinic changed me from old ones (due to weight).

I am not fussed about paying. I am from somewhere with great free at point of entry healthcare, but even we always paid for this so it's nothing new to me (on the other hand dentistry never nearly bankrupted us)

Do you expect Boots to supply with tablets for free that they cannot claim the money for? You need to be more organised in future and order it before you need it. Your title and OP don't match up.

You requested an emergency supply which is not an NHS service - pharmacies will set a fee which covers providing the service, dispensing, recording the supply and the cost of the drug.

With regard to you meds being sent to Echo it may be best to arrange to have your prescription sent to a local pharmacy as they may be willing to help if they know a prescription is on the way to them (or at least give a refund when it does).

@SchrodingersImmigrant

I will also now sound really harsh, but if I wouldn't have the spare money, I would just not leave it till last minute. I always get my supply when second to last is about to finish. If you cannot manage that for any reason it's important to talk to doctor and get contraceptive better fitting and with less need for planning like this. We have many options, some will be better suitable to person and situation than other.

I ordered my repeat once. Went to collect it and found it hadn't been done as I was overdue a blood pressure check. I'd actually had one but for some reason it didn't show up as being a check because I was on the pill.

What should have been plenty of time to get more turned into a last minute dash to a sexual health clinic because my GP surgery had no appointments to offer me and refused point blank to give me even a weeks supply to tide me over. The clinic gave me a months supply with no problems, just asked me a few questions about my family history.

Sometimes things don't go according to even the best laid plans.

Sorry, but if it turned into a last minute dash it wasn't a "plenty of time" to begin with
I alsays expect the worst so I am then pleasantly surprised when all goes well🙈 Hence my pill order over a month before it's needed. I just expect that something will go wrong with it.