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

[Looklively]

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.

I really take exception to this. I'm a very polite person. But when you've been waiting 30 minutes for a box of tablets that are simply put in a bag, it's infuriating. Why don't the phatmacists have the common courtesy to tell you what the delay time is so you can decide to go elsewhere instead of behaving like insufferable wankers making you wait for 30 minutes with no warning?

Jesus the crap being spouted on this thread by people that have never worked in pharmacy is utterly ridiculous.

I can tell you we don't stand around in mine, we are on our knees working 50+ hours a week each, trying to dispense prescriptions, deal with NMS', currently doing PQS sign off, blood pressure checks, doing fit to flys, making dosette boxes, serve on the counter, claim and issue prescriptions, cash up tills, clearing down the spine of the 100 or so prescriptions EVERY SINGLE FUCKING MONTH, we've made up but the patients haven't collected so that means all the bags need undoing and everything needs putting away just so they can come in and moan that we didn't keep it for them.

Then we have the blue scripts that need supervising, the flu and Covid jabs, the people coming in that have been told to come to us because the GP tells them to, the patients that walk in and say "I've seen my GP 2 minutes ago, is my prescription ready?". The constant phone calls asking if their prescriptions are ready. We answer the phone whilst dispensing and make an error, that will need correcting because we're trying to talk to people whilst making sure we get the correct medications, strengths and put the correct directions on the labels. If we don't answer the phone then people come in and shout, swear and are very unpleasant because we didn't answer the phone.

We can't win, no matter what we do, we can't win. I've had a shit day in case you were wondering.

I am one of "these people" (how rude). I work in a community pharmacy. All I can say really is that when you turn up to the pharmacy you are not automatically at the head of "the invisible queue".

The pharmacist may be in the middle of checking a doset box... a week's medication for a vulnerable patient. They are not available to check your meds until they finish.
They may be in the middle of a call to a doctor, a pharmacist at the surgery, hospital etc, or a patient needing advice. They may be talking in person to someone needing advice on a complex issue.

If a request for an end of life pack comes in ... understandably you are knocked down the queue. Others will have come in and been asked to return in an hour, or after 10am/4pm when the daily order is due. Their medication will have to be made up ready for pick up. (They were there before you).They may be making up children's antibiotic liquid which have a short shelf life, so are only mixed when a person picks up.
On top of all that are the repeats which were requested from the doc 3 working days ago, so people will be picking up today, and the increasing referrals from 111, the emergency contraception, methadone (usually given a time slot), other daily meds and medication returns. We are fairly busy right now with LFTs too...

Turning up at the counter expecting immediate service is like saying "drop everything, all that other stuff is not important, I'm here now, get a wiggle on!"

Frustrating, isn’t it? Such an easy job.

That’s why I studied for 5 years (4 years university + 1 year pre-reg), my technicians studied for 2 years, my dispensers studied for 12 months, my counter assistants studied for 6-12 months. Because we’re all so thick and incompetent that it takes us that long to learn how to put a box in a bag 😔

I used to work in community pharmacy from 7am-7pm and all I would do for twelve hours is just pack boxes into bags. All my dispensers would do is stand there and stare into the abyss. One time, we did an EPS download and 567 prescriptions, all with at least 3 items, landed at once. There was no queue in the store though so obviously, the work didn’t exist. My counter assistants would just pick a random bag from the shelf and launch it at the patient, without checking the name/address/identity because let’s face it, it’s not like we’re handling anything serious is it? It’s basically just handing out sweets. Any idiot could do it.

We didn’t have to deal with any prescription queries, liase with surgeries, arrange deliveries, order specials and unlicensed medicines, answer phone calls, emails, paperwork, do vaccinations, supervised consumption, calculations, SOPs, chase surgeries for repeats, order blister pack medications, dispense blister packs, order and dispense medications for care homes, check online platform referrals, order stock, put stock away, count all the prescriptions twice a day, give over the counter advice, counsel patients on their medicines, PCR testing, lateral flow device distribution, blood pressure checks, urine sample testing, removing uncollected prescriptions from storage, medicines disposal, CD destruction, clinically check every prescription to make sure it was legal and safe for the patient, etc all while trying to do data entry, dispensing and checking of regular repeat medications and urgent prescriptions. None of that! We all just stood there and waited to be misunderstood and disrespected. We really enjoyed winding people up.
For a laugh, I once created some posters that explain exactly what happens behind the scenes. It was all lies. Everybody knows that we just throw a bag into a box.

I’ve left pharmacy now. I got bored of doing a job that is so simple. I definitely didn’t leave because I was exhausted, burnt out, unable to concentrate, and tired of being abused.

In all seriousness, thank you to those who try to understand what it is we do, especially during the pandemic when GP and dental surgeries were closed.

And I’m sorry to those of you who receive less than satisfactory care from your pharmacies.
I don’t wish to excuse poor customer service, but all I’m saying is when you’re stressed and demoralised, trying to deliver exceptional customer service to patients who don’t respect you/your job/your expertise seems pointless, honestly. You may counter that with “don’t do the job then!”, and that’s where the problem lies. That’s why pharmacies are understaffed and underperforming. Because people are leaving in droves and not being replaced.
This isn’t me claiming that pharmacy staff are saints, either. The pharmacist at the pharmacy I collect my prescriptions from is always a bit short but as I know what their workload entails, I don’t take it personally.

I would also kindly ask, that if you are having issues with multiple pharmacies, please familiarise yourself with pharmacy processes (many posts on this thread) and think about whether it’s your own attitude that might need adjusting.

Also, please remember working in a pharmacy is mentally taxing. It requires a huge amount of concentration. It’s frustrating when you and your team have just dispensed, clinically and accuracy checked an urgent end of life prescription in record time, to then be abused by someone who doesn’t want to wait 5 minutes for their box of paracetamol that they could buy over the counter in less than 30 seconds. It’s awful when you’ve just received a phone call that your favourite patient has passed away, to then receive a death threat from a patient because their recovery worker hasn’t issued a new prescription yet.

Unfortunately, until the workforce crisis is resolved and pharmacy is more respected and more appealing to work in, it won’t get much easier.
I left community pharmacy 2 months ago and will never go back.

I am really glad I left community pharmacy, this thread is quite depressing.

For the record any of the following behaviour only made me work slower:

-Complaining about the wait.
-Being rude to my staff (particularly the younger ones).
-Saying any variation of: 'it's just sticking a label on a box'
-Being derogatory about the methadone patients.
-Staring at me or my staff whilst we work.
-Not respecting others privacy.
-Not moving away from the counter to allow others to be served.
-Tapping fingers on the counter.
-Trying to jump the queue.
-Shouting/waving for my attention.
-Being annoyed that I was taking a lunch break.

anti depressants have a huge use and being on them, doesn’t mean the person suffers from depression

Yes, I'm on Amitriptyline myself.

I don't want or need to be handed another woman's prescription drugs, though; and apparently I shouldn't be. That's what I was asking - do these multiple checks actually happen 100% of the time? Because I've experienced multiple errors.

We use an independent pharmacy in a kind of villagey area in a city, because we wanted to support it with our trade especially during lockdown and the aftermath.We are always very polite and patient.

For all you pharmacists saying that you're on your knees and overworked and customers are too presumptuous expecting quick service, why do you not give a waiting guide to the customers? Why is it so hard to say, "your prescription will take 30 minutes to fill"? And let the customer decided whether to wait or go elsewhere. Why just take the prescription, bury it somewhere and leave customers expectant of quick service? It's just basic good service and manners. If you keep people waiting for 30 minutes,when you've led them to believe it will be only 5, then you shouldn't be surprised when they moan and complain.

I think some posters are forgetting that the OP has said that she receives a text to say that her prescription is ready.

For the record any of the following behaviour only made me work slower:..

The fact that you knew there was a problem with waiting times but decided to work slower to put even more pressure on your colleagues would be a very good reason for you leaving.

why do you not give a waiting guide to the customers? Why is it so hard to say, "your prescription will take 30 minutes to fill"?

Because you don't know if you will uncover any prescribing errors or issues until you clinically check it. You spend about 15 mins getting through to the doctor (if you even can). You don't know what else will hit the fan in the meantime, how many phone calls you need to take, who might want advice or a service that takes time. It's healthcare and you have to prioritise the most urgent needs first. I always tried to dispense roughly in order but it's common sense to prioritise someone's end of life meds over a box of amoxicillin.

I honestly once had a woman complain to head office about her wait as a man was having a heart attack in the shop (he lived but it was still quite traumatic for everyone).

The fact that you knew there was a problem with waiting times but decided to work slower to put even more pressure on your colleagues would be a very good reason for you leaving.

There was very rarely a problem with my waiting times actually. We had a very good reputation for service in our community.

I left because the relentless workload and abuse from the general public took its toll on my mental and physical health actually.

My colleagues were in complete agreement that there was no reason to rush things (and potentially make mistakes) for rude an entitled people.

@Nightlystroll

For all you pharmacists saying that you're on your knees and overworked and customers are too presumptuous expecting quick service, why do you not give a waiting guide to the customers? Why is it so hard to say, "your prescription will take 30 minutes to fill"? And let the customer decided whether to wait or go elsewhere. Why just take the prescription, bury it somewhere and leave customers expectant of quick service? It's just basic good service and manners. If you keep people waiting for 30 minutes,when you've led them to believe it will be only 5, then you shouldn't be surprised when they moan and complain.

In my experience, if you tell someone to come back in thirty minutes, or have a notice up with a minimum wait time - people choose to ignore it, show up after half the time has passed and throw a hissy fit when it's not ready.

We encountered so much abuse for this during the height of the pandemic that we had to start writing times onto presceiptions that were handed in so that we had a back up when people claimed they were waiting longer than they had been and used this as a reason to verbally abuse us so much we were often reduced to tears.

The attitudes on this thread are disgusting. I would love to see the result if we just chucked whatever we fancy into a bag and handed it over within thirty seconds. Would you want to take medication that someone has barely glanced at before issuing it? Without a label giving clear directions on how to use it? Without a qualified pharmacist checking its suitable for you and wont be harmful?

Pharmacy has been completely shit on through the pandemic - other healthcare professionals hailed as heroes (and rightly so) whilst we've been left putting up with shitty attitudes, abuse and disdain because somehow we're expected to handle pur workload literally tripling overnight whilst our staffing is slaughtered by covid.

@Nightlystroll

For all you pharmacists saying that you're on your knees and overworked and customers are too presumptuous expecting quick service, why do you not give a waiting guide to the customers? Why is it so hard to say, "your prescription will take 30 minutes to fill"? And let the customer decided whether to wait or go elsewhere. Why just take the prescription, bury it somewhere and leave customers expectant of quick service? It's just basic good service and manners. If you keep people waiting for 30 minutes,when you've led them to believe it will be only 5, then you shouldn't be surprised when they moan and complain.

Not a pharmacist but it seems fairly obvious to me. It’s not possible to predict when and how many urgent requests will come in.

I’m always struck on these threads by people who think their own jobs are so special and complicated but anyone else’s is just the equivalent of “grabbing a box off a shelf”.

I’m always struck on these threads by people who think their own jobs are so special and complicated but anyone else’s is just the equivalent of “grabbing a box off a shelf

You'd be amazed by how many people don't even realise you need a degree to be a pharmacist.

why do you not give a waiting guide to the customers

We do! The trouble is that customer is not the only person in the queue. You tell a customer ten minutes. Then a dozen more people turn up. Now no matter what we do we’re wrong. If we ignore the queue to dispense the prescription they’re all complaining. But serve those dozen or so customers and the original customer comes back and complains because you haven’t even looked at the prescription yet. As for putting up a sign, don’t make me laugh. I’ve put up signs before. Customers read them and then ask a question answered by the sign they just read!

We don’t just stick a label on a box and shove it in a bag. We’re labelling hundreds of prescriptions, dispensing the drugs, serving customers, counselling people on which medication to buy/how to take prescribed medication.

We’re answering the phone to impatient people who just can’t wait for the text message to say their prescription is ready. We’re dealing with 111 referrals and now GP referrals. We’re dealing with emergency supplies because of whatever reason someone has run out.

We’re constantly on the phone to suppliers because it is, of course, our personal fault that a certain medication is unavailable. We’re dealing with abusive customers who ask your advice then tell you you’re wrong.

We alone of front line healthcare professionals have stayed open and available throughout the pandemic. We’ve listened to the endless complaints about how hard it is to get a doctors appointment after telling you that dodgy rash needs antibiotics. We’ve been yelled at because the doctor made an error on the prescription and we’re the unlucky bastards who’ve got to tell you it’s not legally valid.

But sure, we just hide behind the counter.

Order on line then simple

I’ve stood waiting for over 45 min for antibiotics for a ranging infection- no seats (before covid), no indication of the wait time when handed in (two other local pharmacies, would have tired elsewhere if I’d known). Even my regular monthly scripts from my regular pharmacy take a week as they order it in- despite me saying I’ll be on it for years and getting it from them every month for years. And it’s always loads of single cut tablets in a box, not full strips with use by dates, drives me mad.

You'd be amazed by how many people don't even realise you need a degree to be a pharmacist.
"But it's just counting tablets" (sarcasm)

Not a pharmacist but it seems fairly obvious to me. It’s not possible to predict when and how many urgent requests will come in.

No one expects a waiting time to the second. But surely you know generally how long the last person waited for so you know how long the next will be waiting for? You certainly know whether its going to be closer to 30 minutes than 5. Maybe you do get emergency prescriptions and they take priority but they don't prevent a time estimation.

As for posters writing about covid, this isn't a recent covid thing. It's been like this for ages.

As for posters writing about covid, this isn't a recent covid thing. It's been like this for ages

Yes, community pharmacy has been a relentless, thankless, underpaid (particularly technicians), inflexible and little respected profession for ages.

Consequently many people left, especially when pharmacist roles were created in primary care. You'd think that this would have made pharmacy owners wise up and change their working conditions but alas no. Those left are generally managing with more work but fewer staff and less funding.

Covid really did ramp up the pressure and the abuse we suffered was unreal.

So many ignorant people on this thread. Why don’t you go and study for 5 years and have the responsibility that if you do your job wrong, make a wrong drug calculation, or don’t spot an incorrect prescription, someone could die. You then end up in court ( I have seen this)

i have spent 25k on rent for my child, they have about £60k+ student debt with another year of working full time and studying - so people can say all they do is bung some tablets in a bag.

After another week in community, they are sure hospital is their vocation due to customers impatience and rudeness.

Thank you to all the pharmacists in this post and shame on everyone complaining.

Ours has a cash point style machine. You get a text saying your prescription is ready and a code and you can collect it whenever is convenient - 24 hours a day.
It’s marvellous!

YABVVVU. My DSis is a pharmacy dispenser, she is run off her feet, has been coughed on all through covid by people who go there because they can't get in to see the GP.
She has had a knife drawn on her by a drug addict.
Has been on duty when the pharmacy was robbed (by someone driving a truck through the wall).
On top of that she gets constant abuse for not hurrying someone's order through.
All of this for minimum wage.

It was a pharmacist who potentially saved my fathers life by spotting a mixture of tablets he was on that could have been catastrophic, not the doctor who prescribed them, or the locum he saw when he started feeling unwell, or the a and e doctor when he took another turn for the worse after starting the second medication, but the pharmacist who just "bungs stuff in a bag and can count to 23"

I'm shocked half of the posters here don't understand what a complex and vital job they do. Shameful, really.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=_HAu0DvSy-0