Pharmacist accused me of stealing DH's medication!?

[BobbyBiscuits]

I have been picking up meds for both DH and DM from this pharmacy for nearly 20 years. I am not their client personally (Reasons will become apparent).

DH suffered a severe trauma injury and was in hospital, he came out for a week then had to go back in.

In the week he was home he was prescribed some sleeping tablets. Only 7. (They are strong and quite well known at the mo as footballers take them)

I went to pick up his meds during this time but this one was missing. the next day he was back in hospital.
From his hospital bed, he then called the pharmacy to ask where they were, a trainee pharmacist confirmed they were indeed there.

Fast forward a week, when he comes home from hospital. He confirms with GP they sent the prescription to pharmacy. I go to pharmacy to pick up these tablets. They look blankly at me and say there is nothing for him.

I go home and he calls them again to find out what's going on.
The pharmacist proceeds to say "I gave them to Bobby".
No you didn't. "I saw my colleague giving them to Bobby'. No you didn't.

I was shocked to the core these people who I've known for years would accuse me of stealing. Never a good deed eh?

When that wasn't accepted they then said the trainee pharmacist was lying when she said the tablets were there?

Again with the third lie, he then said that as DH had been in hospital and on painkillers he must be confused, i.e has had them himself?

It's clear to me they seriously fucked up, either one of them nicked it or they gave it out to a stranger. Outcome is I cannot ever face them again and we had to have a new prescription sent to a different shop after days worth or agony just to get what he was prescribed. The GP fully believed us as if that guy has done this before?

So, would you report them to the BPC etc for misconduct? What they did was bang out of order and so obviously trying to cover their backs.

Has anyone any thoughts on this, or experienced something similar?

Your DH isn't going to die from not getting sleeping tablets. The tablets probably haven't been given to anyone else.

Why assume they have cameras on them for "regulatory purposes"? I very much doubt it.

If this was within the last month, you can ask them to find the prescription and check who signed the back of it. You need to do this before the end of the month, as they get sent off for processing.
I used to work in pharmacy, and we made sure that all customers signed the back of each prescription when they collected it so that we had proof of who had done so.

I think that the owner is where I would start if its not somwhere that leases space in the shop to an independent pharmacy. He employs the pharmacy staff?

It's sounds like a mistake. It's worth reporting on the off chance it has happened before and there are other reports. If it's a one off though it is your word against theirs. Either of you could have made a mistake and either could be lying.

Exactly. My dad is like your dh, it would be fatal. For him and the one who would get his pills. This mistake was on the news here, it’s serious. Especially if they are lying about it, it makes it so much worse.

There is no legal obligation to have cameras in the dispensing area or where the medication is given out. I would start with requesting to speak to the manager so they can investigate. As others have said it will need to be done quickly. Do you know if it was on a green script or an electronic one? If it’s electronic and it was the only item on the script they would have had to scan the prescription in order to claim for it. If they haven’t claimed it then chances are it’s still in the cupboard somewhere. The trainee pharmacist must have had a reason for saying it’s still there. Anyway hope you get things sorted x

You’ve used the pharmacy for 20 years and this is the first problem. They didn’t accuse you of stealing. They say they gave the tablets to you, which could have been the case. The tablets could have been dropped on the way to your car or otherwise misplaced.

just select another pharmacy.

Yes, OP or her DH could easily have misplaced them.

I was once given double antidepression medication. Pharmacy tried telling me I was wrong and hadn't been given it twice but I had the medication I was supposed to have plus the whole lot again and both had been signed off by them and both lots had the same date on. For telling them their error they acted like it was my fault! So they do mess up sometimes, awful they are blaming you.

What is with all the anti-pharmacy propaganda on here lately? Massively overdramatic OP. It sounds like a potential error, or breakdown in communication. It's 7 zopiclone tablets, there's a chance they've been returned to stock. There is also a chance they've been given to the wrong person. Human error occurs unfortunately. Not getting zopiclone is never going to be fatal!

ETA - if this happened to me, my husband's first thought would be that the pharmacy have made a mistake. Not that his wife stole them. Are there other issues at home?

@wombat15 It's not about the specific meds anyway. (though raised red flags as they are more desirable i think?) You don't know the impact of someone not having what they are prescribed by a doctor.
How would you feel if you / close person to you are having an illness, it could be fatal and your meds were given to someone else or lost? Neither me nor DH are lying and the cameras will prove it. We are definitely reporting it as I can't trust them with my Mum's meds now either.

@innerdesign They said on the phone to him that they "saw me taking them' 'I saw him giving her them'. "he gave them to her" etc, total gaslighting and BS. They are conspiring together to cover their own terrible breach of professional standards.

Hoe could op or her dh have misplaced them when the pharmacy looked at her blankly and said they didn't have them

I'm on Zopiclone. Wasn't aware they were that serious.

I too would ask for someone to look into this. It's not ok, at all.

@wombat15 Not if we never had them. Hence my thread?

It's much more likely to me that they're either mistaken, or that they saw you collect the other meds (which you confirm you collected) and are getting mixed up. Do you have any idea how many customers and patients a pharmacy has daily? It shouldn't happen, this is why there are procedures, but occasionally mistakes do happen.

@innerdesign Have you ever been refused your meds by a pharmacy because they claim you've had them already?

OP says they weren't in the bag with the other meds, but they could have been and just been lost/fallen out in the street. It's not likely, but it's possible

I think you should ask them to show the scrip with your signature or whoever signed. Maybe someone in the pharmacy has an addiction and saw an opportunity (sad).

Storm in a tea cup!

Possibly? I'm sure I went to collect a script for my gran and they said it wasn't there/had already been collected. Turned out it was in the fridge and they hadn't looked there. Again, mistakes happen. It was rectified. I think you're possibly underestimating just how old-fashioned and poor pharmacy communication and processes are. Lots is on paper so it's hard to identify the error on the spot.

@innerdesign Its 100% impossible they fell on the street, it had one item in it. went straight in my bag while in shop. When I got home it just had the one med in it, not the z. The label said the other one only.

There is no debate around the fact I did not receive it.

They are very popular with nurses on night duty and some wards are locking them away with the CDs - pretty addictive, GPs only usually supply one weeks worth so they are pretty much sought after.