Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

The time it blessed takes for a prescription to be filled?!

154 replies

Looklively · 14/02/2022 18:09

Am I the only person that can’t quite understand why, when there is no queue, and apparently three members of staff plus the pharmacist (hiding) behind the counter it still takes an eternity for someone to serve me, and then another lifetime for them to fill the script?? I wouldn’t mind but this happens every single time at every pharmacy I’ve tried recently, and I was collecting medication that had been prescribed and sent by the doc (he checked it had been sent whilst I was at the surgery) at least four hours previously - I even received a text to say that it was ready! And why, when all I’m doing is confirming my name/ address are they so damn surly? Am I just really entitled for thinking that these people don’t really understand the idea of expediency/ efficiency/ customer service? It takes less time to collect my orders from next - and they are almost always friendly and usually only have one or two people on hand.

OP posts:
OMGItsEarly · 14/02/2022 18:14

You have no clue how many prescriptions are in the queue to be filled before yours. Each prescription, even if it’s just for one item, needs to be checked by 2 people.

They are probably surly because they are fed up to the back teeth of people moaning to them about their prescription not being ready because they have no idea how long the job takes.

I don’t work in a pharmacy btw but come out of there with carrier bags of stuff for DH and hear the grief the poor staff get!

TheSnowyOwl · 14/02/2022 18:16

Just because people aren’t there physically waiting doesn’t mean there aren’t more prescriptions ahead of your one waiting to be completed and checked.

If you act towards then how your OP suggests, then that is probably why they are surly. Just ask how long it will be when you drop it off and return at that time.

PolytheneRam · 14/02/2022 18:17

It takes a couple of minutes at my local pharmacy.

ChittyBangs · 14/02/2022 18:18

Literally though how long did you wait? 5, 20, 30 mins?

5 mins is longest I've waited and it was fine.

CorrBlimeyGG · 14/02/2022 18:19

While there are more checks in prescription dispensing than in Next(!), I know what you mean. Boots are the worst for in our town, that and not having the meds in stock.

ChiefInspectorParker · 14/02/2022 18:20

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

toomuchfaster · 14/02/2022 18:21

They will be dealing with 100s, if not 1000s of prescriptions every day. Yours is not special unless its for end of life medication. A text from the surgery merely means they have sent it to the spine, not that the pharmacy has even received it never mind processed it. And they are probably surly because the public are horrible. Even more so since Covid.

Iamanicepersonreally · 14/02/2022 18:22

It made me laugh that the doctor sent the prescription 4 hours previously. My pharmacist takes at least a week to get the prescription ready after the doctor has sent it.

Midgetwithaplan · 14/02/2022 18:24

Your order form next can't kill you if it's wrong? I work in many busy pharmacies. Your prescriptions arrive with around 400 others, for us to print out, fold and sort. None of them are highlighted as urgent by the GP so we make an educated guess as to who might be in quickly and try and prioritise those. All while answering the phone, serving on the counter, supervising methadone, doing blood pressure checks, covid jabs, emergency contraception requests, minor ailment schemes. Plus trying to work our way through 400 prescriptions.
But I will be honest, if you're rude or sarcastic about the waiting time, it will go up. 5 minutes can easily become 20 if you irritate me, as I decide to prioritise one of the other 20 things I'm trying to do at the same time over the rude customer. So if you're always having to wait, maybe it's not the pharmacy that's the problem?

Kshhuxnxk · 14/02/2022 18:25

My DS works in a pharmacy. Every one she has worked in have the minimum of staff and process hundreds of scripts handed in every day along with daily dosette boxes to be made up, supervising methadone and now pharmacists give medical advice. All scripts have to be scanned into systems, the medication counted logged and double checked. It is a complicated process and any mistakes can be life threatening.

balalake · 14/02/2022 18:26

I must have the best pharmacy going, they are very helpful. Lucky me.

I agree with the comment about unpleasant members of the public.

VikingLundyMalin · 14/02/2022 18:28

We have hundreds of scripts a day - you are just one of many in a very long queue. When you arrive you'll move up the queue.

There is a massive workforce crisis in community pharmacy - staff are leaving in the 1000s - we've had enough. The abuse we've experienced through COVID when we were the only part of primary care where you could just walk through the door was horrific and it's not getting better - I've been doing the job for nearly 30 years and as much as I love 95% of my patients if I could afford to leave I would.

SpinningTheSeedsOfLove · 14/02/2022 18:28

Each prescription, even if it’s just for one item, needs to be checked by 2 people

Is that true?? Not doubting you at all about what's supposed to happen and why; but I get loads of mistakes with my meds. DP goes for them and has started checking them at the counter in front of the staff, because we were getting so many errors.

I was even given another woman's medication once. I knew her. They were anti-depressants. (I handed them back. Pretty awful though for her privacy to be breached like that.)

VikingLundyMalin · 14/02/2022 18:30

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

Each prescription, even if it’s just for one item, needs to be checked by 2 people

Is that true?? Not doubting you at all about what's supposed to happen and why; but I get loads of mistakes with my meds. DP goes for them and has started checking them at the counter in front of the staff, because we were getting so many errors.

I was even given another woman's medication once. I knew her. They were anti-depressants. (I handed them back. Pretty awful though for her privacy to be breached like that.)

Yes it's true - everything should have a second check for safety.
TonksInPurple · 14/02/2022 18:30

Do you live in the same middle class Central Scotland town as me? If so go to the other one they’ll have it done in a fraction of the time and are much nicer!

Krustykrabpizza · 14/02/2022 18:33

Surely if you get a text saying it's ready then all they have to do is find the bag with your name on when you arrive?

My pharmacy is shite and also the only place I know still enforcing extreme COVID restrictions and a one in one out policy, meaning there's often a queue of very cold, often elderly people shivering in the car park

User135644 · 14/02/2022 18:35

@OMGItsEarly

You have no clue how many prescriptions are in the queue to be filled before yours. Each prescription, even if it’s just for one item, needs to be checked by 2 people.

They are probably surly because they are fed up to the back teeth of people moaning to them about their prescription not being ready because they have no idea how long the job takes.

I don’t work in a pharmacy btw but come out of there with carrier bags of stuff for DH and hear the grief the poor staff get!

Anyone who has to deal with the general public in a customer facing role has my sympathy. T
TheSnowyOwl · 14/02/2022 18:35

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

Each prescription, even if it’s just for one item, needs to be checked by 2 people

Is that true?? Not doubting you at all about what's supposed to happen and why; but I get loads of mistakes with my meds. DP goes for them and has started checking them at the counter in front of the staff, because we were getting so many errors.

I was even given another woman's medication once. I knew her. They were anti-depressants. (I handed them back. Pretty awful though for her privacy to be breached like that.)

Yes it is true.

It’s also true that anti depressants have a huge use and being on them, doesn’t mean the person suffers from depression.

VikingLundyMalin · 14/02/2022 18:37

@Krustykrabpizza

Surely if you get a text saying it's ready then all they have to do is find the bag with your name on when you arrive?

My pharmacy is shite and also the only place I know still enforcing extreme COVID restrictions and a one in one out policy, meaning there's often a queue of very cold, often elderly people shivering in the car park

Maybe the staff are CEV - maybe patients won’t wear a mask as requested. Not sure it’s a reason to call them shite.

It depends who sent the text - GPs have a habit of sending messages saying scripts are ready when they have only sent the script to the pharmacy - it’s a massive issue.

Stellaris22 · 14/02/2022 18:37

If it's a repeat order why don't you get it delivered? I use Echo for my repeat inhaler and it means I never have to go to a pharmacy.

I absolutely feel sorry for pharmacists and the abuse they must face.

VikingLundyMalin · 14/02/2022 18:40

@Stellaris22

If it's a repeat order why don't you get it delivered? I use Echo for my repeat inhaler and it means I never have to go to a pharmacy.

I absolutely feel sorry for pharmacists and the abuse they must face.

Using online services is all well and good until you have no local pharmacies left because they are no longer viable.
FailureToLurk · 14/02/2022 18:41

I think majority of pharmacies are the same. Especially in my town, takes an absolute age to get your prescription.

When my mental health was really bad, I couldn't physically/mentally wait long enough to get the prescription filled. This ment I went without antipsychotic medication for months, till eventually the GP asked why I wasn't picking up my prescriptions every month, they started to deliver it to my house after that.

Luckily I no longer need them, but yeah was rough for a bit.

I do this thing now when I need a prescription for say antibiotics, I give it in, and go back the next day for it and it's usually there to grab.

Cherrysoup · 14/02/2022 18:42

I nominated a small local pharmacy for my regular prescription. Bar a new person trying to charge me for the pill, I’ve had zero problems.

TwoCoffeesPlease · 14/02/2022 18:43

YANBU it’s infuriating. Especially when all you need is a packet of pills I never understand why they can’t just grab it for you🤷🏼‍♀️

Precipice · 14/02/2022 18:43

You're not wrong, OP.

I'm from another country. There when I go into the pharmacy, the pharmacist serving you goes to gather your items and you remain at the front of the queue while this is happening, you pay and out you go, then they move to the next customer. The only time it's a wait beyond that is if your prescription is for something that has to be made up at the pharmacy, at which point you're usually instructed to pick it up the next day or in a number of hours. None of this "it'll be 30 minutes" while you stand there.

It also takes forever here because they're stickering everything with your name. And putting it into the paper bag - all such a waste.

Since the lockdown my GP surgery here started sending (repeated) scripts directly to a chosen pharmacy, it's been smoother, as it's usually packaged up when I go. OTOH, I've had a few instances when I requested a repeat prescription and it hadn't been done by the surgery a week later, but that's a problem on the side of the GP surgery.