Boots withdrawing dossette box service

[Itsnotallaboutmoney]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61881272.amp

Name changed for this as I really don’t mind it ending up in the Daily Fail for once.

I seriously cannot believe what Boots are planning. For those of us who have elderly parents (particularly with memory issues) who we are trying to persuade to allow help in the home (to no avail) this is a kick in the teeth. Whilst I understand it’s probably time-consuming etc to fill the boxes, the sheer danger of missed tablets, overdosing or the wrong combination as a duty of care from a profession surely outweighs the cost-saving element of providing this service. My in-laws both currently have memory issues and without this service, the lady who comes in to help each day would not have a clue as to what they have taken each day. My own parents at-home care service will not distribute any meds not in a pharmacy-filled dossette box. So where do the elderly and vulnerable go from here?

This morning I couldn’t imagine anything getting me more wound up than having to book a hotel stay in order for my child to get to a public examination today.. but here we are. I sincerely hope Boots have not tried to sneak this in on a day when everyone is watching the rail strike hoping no one has noticed 😡

Oh, so it just depends on where you live, I guess. I assume they aren't available here or someone would have told me or my Care co.

Some pharmacies do. An independent pharmacy near where I worked used to charge for them and it worked really well for them. Unfortunately not everyone can afford it - an extra few pounds a week is alot. And it's these people that may suffer.
The NHS needs to find the service properly as it is short sighted really- as it will only increase medication related hospital admissions.

I can imagine that situation with some people with mental health issues too. Why can't they just provide them if a hcp says the patient needs them?

They're really not obligated to. As I said it's not an NHS service. I was a community pharmacist for years. We rarely declined it as we knew there would be a medical need for it but occasionally we literally did not have staff or capacity for it and would have to signpost them them to alternative pharmacies.

I didn't know you could get these, they do make sense but assume it's time consuming for the pharmacists
Sounds like if you really need them you can get them

Yes, it is a lot and I'm on a low income. But not being able to take my medication properly has such a big effect I'd do anything to get a blister pack.

Pharmacists are also HCP's and will always work with their GP/nurse/community team for the best outcome.

Not many of our patients have them. But occasionally they do. And we can give medication for them in hospital. If it's unlabelled in diffract container, we. And use it and have to offer again from pharmacy. Costing even more money.

Honestly, as a pharmacist I feel so sad that people who truly need them may have to pay for them. It's not right.
The NHS needs to start funding it properly

Yes, but the local pharmacist knows nothing about me. My Care Co does. My psych hospital does. They say I need a blister pack, why does the pharmacist think they know better?

I used to work for Boots, i left a few years ago and even then they kept trying to stop/ reduce the amount of blister packs.
Unfortunately despite how many people they help they loose money because of the time/cost it takes to process them.
They just arnt patient focused anymore, more interested in profit and unfortunately the profit is in the make up etc!

Pharmacies can provide them with medication. We use to do it for assisted care homes to ensure the carers could mark that they had given each medication at the right time.
Please do ask for support if you need it. There's always alternative things that could help.

Pharmacies can provide them with medication. We use to do it for assisted care homes to ensure the carers could mark that they had given each medication at the right time.
Please do ask for support if you need it. There's always alternative things that could help.

You can get a chart from your pharmacy, it’s called a MAR chart. The computer system generates them from your pharmacy records. Just ask them for one next time you get a prescription.

Plus not everyone can open the boxes you do yourself. Mt husband has the dosette boxes as he can’t open bottles, tablet blister packs etc, but he can ‘pop’ the cover on each window when he needs to.

If your parents are having problems the pharmacies can put them into blister packs for free every time , just ask them or your doctors . Better than dosette boxes and you don’t have to worry about them

I'm not saying that they know better. I'm saying they work collaboratively and that they may not have the time/capacity/resources to provide the dosette service so they physically can't.
NHS funding for pharmacies has been steadily reduced for years and getting worse, and dosette boxes were never included but were done as a goodwill service.
I feel for you. And I really hope you find a pharmacy that can still provide the service for you.

Dosette boxes are blister packs. Just a different name for them.

isn't that a carer's job?

I've never even heard that Boots do this despite my late Dad having zillions of pills. We just bought him a pill tracker but he didn't live alone.

If your relative can't manage their own care, you need to talk to your GP and get some care in place.

Are you not able to sort the box on a weekly basis?

I work in a pharmacy (not Boots) and we are cutting back too.
We don’t have the time or staff to make up MCA boxes for every patient, we’ve already halved the amount we do.
So many patients have them and they have no idea why or they are capable of managing without them, it’s very time consuming to make up these boxes and the pharmacy does not get paid for doing them so they have to absorb the cost themselves.
We have a Boots branch round the corner and they have also offloaded a lot of their boxes and patients cannot find other pharmacies to take them on because we are all in the same position, too much work and not enough staff.

You must realise most carers in this country are unpaid? And that lots of people who need paid care don't get it?

Lots of people are unable to manage their own medication and may live alone - or with someone else who is unable to assist them with it?

Not all paid carers would even be allowed to dose out someone's medication for them - they should have a competency assessment for that task, and not everyone will have the literacy etc to manage this but still be 100% competent in all other aspects of caring for someone. That will complicate things.

@LovesLaboursLoss you are missing the point. Your Dad didn’t live alone so presumably had help. Many elderly or vulnerable do not have this level of support so of course you cannot see the issue. Many elderly or vulnerable don’t have this support. Most Care companies ONLY accept meds in a dossette or blister pack or they are NOT permitted to administer them. So as per a PP above whose relative lived an hour away, without the service provided by the pharmacy are you going to travel backwards and forwards 4 x a day to make sure they have taken the correct meds? Probably not I guess. As I said, you only realise what’s at stake when you’re in the midst of it and rely on it.

@Itsnotallaboutmoney

Seems a bit extreme to be freaking out about this, and hope the Daily Mail picks it up.

You can get these boxes from other pharmacies, and at places like Home Bargains, Poundstretchers, Savers, Poundland, Wilkos, Tesco, and B & M, and of course off the internet. (Ebay have them, so do Amazon and Etsy.) It's not like you're never going to be able to get them again, ever!

What a strange thing to get wound up about.

No, you can't. Boots have an outright ban on anyone new getting a blister pack. Other pharmacies decide you don't need one despite your HCPs saying you do need one.