Furious with pharmacist

[Pleeby]

Queuing to collect my prescription. One lady already waiting and a school mum behind me.

Pharmacist comes out and calls my name, I said yes that’s me she then calls “are you waiting for your sertraline”. No discretion at all.

I said to her “I’m sorry did you just call my actual prescription out in front of everyone” she just kind of shrugged and said yeah sorry is that what you’re waiting for though?

What the actual fuck? This must be a breach of some kind of confidentially?

@rattlemehearties

My surgery ordered the mirena through a local pharmacist when I booked the appointment , and I had to collect it myself and bring it to the GP appointment to have it fitted.

Just adding to the chorus of "that's unacceptable" OP. It IS a breach of confidentiality which is the absolute backbone of medical work.

Can't believe there's someone who works in a pharmacy asking you to let them off because they are working hard. so many of us have been knocking our pan in all our working lives but would still expect to be pulled up if we breached a fundamental code of conduct in our duties. If we are professional in any way.

I'm glad you have complained but personally I would have requested a reply in writing. It's too easy for them to make a soothing phone call and then ignore forever more. A paper trail is better for enforcing standards.

@NothingIcando

Thats shit op. Sorry that happened YANBU.

I went for the morning after pill a couple months ago.

Im 34 , it's the second time in my life I took it but that's beside the point.
She put me in a private room...then went back out behind the counter and opened a hatch to the room and shouted questions at me about contraception..how it works and what I can do in future. Questions about all sorts I was fucking mortified.

I then had to let myself out of the room and stand with the people who had been watching and listening through the hatch.

That is so bad it sounds like a written sketch. Hard to comprehend how anyone could be so crass. And I’m really sorry but it made me laugh it’s so bad.

Re the name and address, it's to make sure they give you the right medication. Standard patient identification procedure.

DP found out when he was collecting his meds that there's a man living on our street with the same (quite unusual) last name and a very similar first name - think John or Jonathan. Similar age too within a few years.

The other man was also in there getting his meds so they had to check quite carefully they got the right ones because if they'd just shouted out John Smith on Green Lane, that would have applied to both of them.

@Bonkerz

I would like to add that taking sertralene is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of though.

No, it isn't anything to be embarrassed about.

But that's not the point. It is no-one else's business what medication someone is on. And there's still such a thing as gossip, a lot of it uninformed and unpleasant.

Can't believe there's someone who works in a pharmacy asking you to let them off because they are working hard

I don’t think anyone’s saying it’s acceptable for a pharmacist to be indiscreet or breach confidentiality.

But yes they do work hard; long shifts in stifling PPE, on their feet all day, rushing between customer and storage boxes, ordering meds, processing endless prescriptions that have to be double checked and signed for by a colleague, taking certain patients into private rooms eg to give the Morning After Pill safely or watch and record somebody taking their daily dose of methadone. Plus dealing with impatient or hostile people, putting up with rude or threatening behaviour at the same time as giving out medical advice, filling in paperwork and trying to be understanding and kind even when customers kick off or complain constantly. Maybe she was busy trying to be efficient and serve people quickly.

Some posters (including me) have suggested OP overreacted. The pharmacist said the word Sertraline too loudly while checking she was giving the right medication to the right patient, she wasn’t trying to embarrass or upset anybody.

It’s difficult to be discreet and whisper when you have to wear a mask and stand 2m away. And if that pharmacist had handed out 20 Sertraline prescriptions that day she probably thought nothing of saying it out loud. It’s not as if she said ‘your anti-depressant prescription is ready’ or went through the side effects and precautions loudly in front of a queue.

Pharmacists often list embarrassing side effects or talk you through how to take medication because they have a duty of care! I think we’re lucky to have pharmacists and free/discounted medications available.

If you want complete discretion and privacy you order your prescriptions online so they’re delivered.

It’s a bit like going to hospital for a procedure and complaining because another patient MIGHT have overheard the doctor asking if you’d like midazolam (a sedative that helps patients relax for procedures). Or a nurse saying ‘here’s the Zopiclone the doctor wrote up for you’ if you requested a sleeping tablet for a night in hospital (curtains aren’t soundproof). Medication rounds aren’t conducted in silence.

Or going to A&E and complaining the nurse brought medication to you in the waiting room and you felt judged because others MAY have overheard what it was. Or having to give the reason you’ve attended A&E to a receptionist through a plastic window, with a queue behind you.

It would be great if all pharmacies, hospitals and clinics had an excess of private rooms and enough staff to ensure total privacy and efficiency at all times.

@HikeForward I have never encountered a nurse give a running commentary on the medication given in hospital. They check the drugs sheet, dispense the medication into a dosage cup and discreetly hand to the patient. Unless a patient strikes up a conversation about the prescription or has a request.

No doubt about it, there is no justification for how the pharmacist behaved in this instance and they require some retraining. It was a clear breach of standards and completely unethical.

It’s unacceptable, I would complain as well. I usually pick up prescriptions from our local Boots for DH, DD and myself. They call out your name and then you should confirm your post code. They might tell you about how to take it or how to store but nothing more.

@Allthefilmsarecrap

I always think the address thing is weird too. Not many other places you’d have to confirm your address out loud in front of strangers.

Yes, ours shows the label on the bag and they say "can you just confirm those are the correct name and address details" which is much better.

If I’m giving a prescription to a patient on the ward I have to check it with another nurse then explain how to administer it to the patients parent and sign that I’ve done so prior to them going home. I then document I’ve done so in my notes. I do try to be as discreet as possible though.

Pharmacists often list embarrassing side effects or talk you through how to take medication because they have a duty of care! I think we’re lucky to have pharmacists and free/discounted medications available
Talking about side effects is not calling out a patient's medication to the whole pharmacy.

The 'be grateful' line is silly too. We don't have free or discounted prescriptions. We pay into the NHS through our taxes so it is free at the point of delivery and there are also prescription charges.

All this be grateful for a free service sounds right out of the right wing privatise the NHS line of thinking.

@LolaSmiles

Pharmacists often list embarrassing side effects or talk you through how to take medication because they have a duty of care! I think we’re lucky to have pharmacists and free/discounted medications available Talking about side effects is not calling out a patient's medication to the whole pharmacy.

The 'be grateful' line is silly too. We don't have free or discounted prescriptions. We pay into the NHS through our taxes so it is free at the point of delivery and there are also prescription charges.

All this be grateful for a free service sounds right out of the right wing privatise the NHS line of thinking.

Actually the NHS don’t pay anything for the advice given to you. The payment from the NHS is about a pound for dispensing the item. The prescription charge goes to the government not the pharmacy. If you turn up and ask for advice about your rash etc the only payment is any profit made on a sale as a result of that.

@Sleepingdogs12

I think you are right to be annoyed by this if it could be overheard by the school mum nearby and you were right to challenge them. This has never happened to me. I am always uncomfortable by giving my address in front of everyone though. I am sure the other people were more interested in their own situation rather than yours so put it behind you.

Oh yes, imagine the shame 😏🙄

Complain to Boots, total and complete breach of confidentiality and goes against everything all HCPs are taught when training.

Then move your pharmacy away from Boots - they are the worst ones out there. I find local independents will go out of their way for their customers

Mine did this with HRT
I then asked to discuss it so we went into this little room. I was very tearful- this was the 4th chemist I’d been to to fill the prescription.
She proceeded to tell me that I shouldn’t be embarrassed , it happens to us all.
Yes, I know, but there’s a time and a place

The 'be grateful' line is silly too. We don't have free or discounted prescriptions. We pay into the NHS through our taxes so it is free at the point of delivery and there are also prescription charges. All this be grateful for a free service sounds right out of the right wing privatise the NHS line of thinking.

Why is it silly to be grateful? In many countries people can’t afford to see a doctor, or buy medication, or receive hospital treatment. Have you ever lived in a country where people have to save up to see a doctor or go without food in order to buy antibiotics for their child?

Yes we pay into the NHS through our taxes, if we earn enough to be able to contribute. Taxpayers ensure people who earn less still receive the same level of medical care. It’s a free service if you cannot afford to pay which is how it should be IMO. Prescription charges don’t apply to everyone; if you’re in receipt of benefits, a student in full time education, earn below the threshold or are under 18 all prescriptions and dental care are free. I think we should all be grateful for this; nobody knows when they will need to access medical care.

HikeForward I have never encountered a nurse give a running commentary on the medication given in hospital. They check the drugs sheet, dispense the medication into a dosage cup and discreetly hand to the patient. Unless a patient strikes up a conversation about the prescription or has a request

Where did I say nurses give a ‘running commentary’ on medication given in hospital?

Yes it’s dispensed into a cup but many patients want to know what they’re taking and why; and they have a right to know. IME few just swallow it without asking the HCP what’s in the cup and why it’s been prescribed, or what are those big orange tablets they don’t normally take. It’s hardly the staff’s fault if the lady in the next bed is a school mum known to the patient, and happens to hear through the curtains!

And yes sometimes that medication will be to treat mental health conditions (either because the patient is already on it eg an SSRI or antipsychotic they take daily) or a doctor has prescribed it since admission (eg to help relieve anxiety, pain, nausea or even to prevent/treat symptoms caused by other medication).

Of course all HCPs try to explain DISCREETLY what it is and how it works, but it’s not always possible to whisper through a mask on a busy ward or in a noisy clinic room or cubicle when lots of other people are also waiting for their medication.

I imagine pharmacists face similar challenges.

Why is it silly to be grateful? In many countries people can’t afford to see a doctor, or buy medication, or receive hospital treatment. Have you ever lived in a country where people have to save up to see a doctor or go without food in order to buy antibiotics for their child?
It's not silly to appreciate our health service.
It is silly when someone raises valid concerns about their medical information being shared in public to tell them to be grateful we have this free health service. It's as if saying 'be grateful it's free somehow negates the fact that their medication was shared in public. It's a way trying to shut people up.

If someone gets unprofessional care or service then they are well within their rights to raise it, not be told to be grateful they have had access to a health service.

I think that's really bad.
Possibly a little bit nasty, too.

@HikeForward

The 'be grateful' line is silly too. We don't have free or discounted prescriptions. We pay into the NHS through our taxes so it is free at the point of delivery and there are also prescription charges. All this be grateful for a free service sounds right out of the right wing privatise the NHS line of thinking.

Why is it silly to be grateful? In many countries people can’t afford to see a doctor, or buy medication, or receive hospital treatment. Have you ever lived in a country where people have to save up to see a doctor or go without food in order to buy antibiotics for their child?

Yes we pay into the NHS through our taxes, if we earn enough to be able to contribute. Taxpayers ensure people who earn less still receive the same level of medical care. It’s a free service if you cannot afford to pay which is how it should be IMO. Prescription charges don’t apply to everyone; if you’re in receipt of benefits, a student in full time education, earn below the threshold or are under 18 all prescriptions and dental care are free. I think we should all be grateful for this; nobody knows when they will need to access medical care.

Grateful for the NHS? I honestly don’t know what the relevance of this is. Although glad you mansplained how the NHS was funded - who knew? The pharmacist is a privately run business - paid by the NHS to dispense medicines - there’s no charity involved - it’s business, some do it well others not so much, gratitude is irrelevant.

I would complain - she should not do this
A few years back I was having ivf and had to collect a variety of drugs - pharmacist wished me luck with my itv - I was not happy - only good thing was that it wasn't my local pharmacy where I was bound to know someone in the queue

It's as if saying 'be grateful it's free somehow negates the fact that their medication was shared in public. It's a way trying to shut people up

No, that’s not what I said or how I meant it to sound. Of course people shouldn’t ‘shut up’ if they feel something unprofessional or indiscreet has occurred.

My point was I felt OP overreacted to what is quite a normal practice in many pharmacies (at least the pharmacies I’ve been to). The brand name of her medication was called out by a pharmacist to say it was ready to collect. She was rude to the pharmacist for saying ‘Sertraline’ out loud then put in a formal complaint.

OP had the option to arrange delivery if she didn’t want to wait for it, or drop the prescription off then rejoin the queue half an hour later so she could discreetly ask for it herself instead of waiting to be called.

Due to social distancing it’s unlikely anyone else was near the OP at this point, let alone close enough to hear what the pharmacist said. If the pharmacist was unreasonably loud then yes her supervisor needs to have a word with her. But the way OP has described it sounds like she thinks it’s worthy of a disciplinary or dismissal.

@HikeForward

It's as if saying 'be grateful it's free somehow negates the fact that their medication was shared in public. It's a way trying to shut people up

No, that’s not what I said or how I meant it to sound. Of course people shouldn’t ‘shut up’ if they feel something unprofessional or indiscreet has occurred.

My point was I felt OP overreacted to what is quite a normal practice in many pharmacies (at least the pharmacies I’ve been to). The brand name of her medication was called out by a pharmacist to say it was ready to collect. She was rude to the pharmacist for saying ‘Sertraline’ out loud then put in a formal complaint.

OP had the option to arrange delivery if she didn’t want to wait for it, or drop the prescription off then rejoin the queue half an hour later so she could discreetly ask for it herself instead of waiting to be called.

Due to social distancing it’s unlikely anyone else was near the OP at this point, let alone close enough to hear what the pharmacist said. If the pharmacist was unreasonably loud then yes her supervisor needs to have a word with her. But the way OP has described it sounds like she thinks it’s worthy of a disciplinary or dismissal.

No it doesn't sound like that at all. She also wasn't rude.

That's just your spin on it, that probably comes from the same place as "grateful".

My point was I felt OP overreacted to what is quite a normal practice in many pharmacies (at least the pharmacies I’ve been to). The brand name of her medication was called out by a pharmacist to say it was ready to collect. If it's normal practice in many pharmacies maybe it's time that stopped. It isn't normal in the pharmacy I use...at the very least OP vote with your feet...I won't go near Boots - the local pharmacy provides a much better service.

I think she was wrong to have called out the name of the drug. I wouldn't want the world and his wife to know if I was on antidepressants, not that there is anything to be ashamed of but it is private. Sertraline is a well known drug too.

All she had to say was, "Your prescription is ready", or whatever.

Can’t imagine they would holler at a man “you waiting for your viagra?”!!

I thought exactly the same :-).