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Original poster

Pharmacist accused me of stealing DH's medication!?

175 replies

BobbyBiscuits · 22/02/2024 13:45

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?

OP posts:
wombat15 · 23/02/2024 13:58

BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 13:35

@Sparklfairy Thank you. I did not look in the bag as it's not my responsibility to do so. It is indeed sealed. I did not ask for that med by name as I did not again feel the need. We knew it was there along with the pain relief as GP confirmed.

I regret that now, obviously.. but some people trying to say I did something wrong? Jeez.

As soon as he could he phoned them and they again confirmed it WAS there. (This was 2 days later as by then he'd been blue lighted back to hospital so called from his bed). He can't have them in hospital but wanted/ needed them for his return.

So they ( a female trainee pharmacist) confirmed it was there 2 days after the day they allege I stole/took it.

They ( 2 senior men) then told DH the trainee pharmacist "was lying' that the medicine was there. Why would she do that?

The whole thing stinks. They know they fucked up and said everything they could to blame me/us.

I'm still not clear. Are you saying your

  1. DH told you that the medication was missing from the bag but you hadn't noticed that yourself between leaving the shop and giving him the bag?
  2. Your DH told you that a female "trainee pharmacist" confirmed it was there?
  3. Your DH told you that 2 "senior men" told him that the "trainee pharmacist" was lying.
  4. Your DH told you that the pharmacy staff said you stole his medication?

Also, how did your DH know he was speaking to a "trainee pharmacist" on the telephone?

Original poster
BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 14:10

@wombat15 In answer to all three.

I opened the bag at home in front of him and we both saw just one medicine.

I heard the entire convo with the pharmacy on both occasions as it was on speaker.

The men told DH she was a trainee, when they tried to accuse her of lying.

OP posts:
Original poster
BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 14:22

@wombat15 Sorry, to add, my DH didn't tell me anything about what they said, I heard it all.

OP posts:
wombat15 · 23/02/2024 14:31

BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 14:10

@wombat15 In answer to all three.

I opened the bag at home in front of him and we both saw just one medicine.

I heard the entire convo with the pharmacy on both occasions as it was on speaker.

The men told DH she was a trainee, when they tried to accuse her of lying.

Edited

I would report it to the General Pharmaceutical Council then.

Original poster
BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 14:43

@wombat15 We got there in the end. lol. Sorry if I was short with you but glad you get it now.

OP posts:
Iwasafool · 23/02/2024 14:46

TomeTome · 22/02/2024 13:52

I’d call the police.

I would as well.

Original poster
BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 14:53

@Iwasafool I really can't tell if you are being serious or not? I'm not planning on doing so.

OP posts:
CormorantStrikesBack · 23/02/2024 15:00

CutthroatDruTheViolent · 23/02/2024 13:00

I think it's more likely they genuinely think the drugs were in the bag and therefore handed to you rather than them gaslighting you and accusing you of stealing.

If the drugs have gone missing though it does need investigating.

This. Pharmacies fuck up sometimes.

years ago as a midwife our ward used to dispense the take home meds from ward stock We got stopped and told we shouldn’t have ever done this and pharmacy would take over dispensing. So sealed bags with patient names on would come.

I gave a woman her sealed bag once. Was meant to be blood pressure meds. She got home, opened it and it was acyclovir. Major investigation. I got accused of giving the wrong bag but firstly no one on the ward was on acyclovir and the woman said the bag had her name on it.

I certainly learned a lesson to check the contents and was bollocked for not doing so but prior to that it hadn’t crossed my mind I needed to check that a pharmacist had done their job properly.

Nantescalling · 23/02/2024 15:56

Neriah · 23/02/2024 09:00

My local hospitals (a) do not allow any drugs in from outside and (b) also do not issue prescribed drugs whilst in the hospital. When I was in hospital and in severe pain (turned out to be my hip bone had crumbled) the nursing staff refused to provide anything other than paracetamol which did nothing for it - I was already on painkilling drugs that were much stronger. Despite asking them to let me take my own prescribed drugs they refused to allow mine into the hospital or to provide replacements for them. My GP actually phoned and faxed the ward asking them to ensure that I got my prescribed drugs - they refused. I was left in agonising pain for THREE DAYS in this way until a consultant who knew what they were doing attended. I was then put on morphine patches because of the severity of the pain, and remained on them for several weeks until I could have surgery.

I claimed aganist the hospital and they settled and agreed that the treatment I received was unacceptable. So even if that is what hospitals are supposed to do, it doesn't mean they will.

Show quote history

Exactly the same happened to me. The hospital took all my medicines away from me and replaced morphine with paracetamol. never thought to pursue it but looks like I should have. Mine was for a hip replacement. Back home, my doctor refused to prescribe morphine saying it was only allowed in controlled environment which isn't true because I have a paralysed son who gets it permanently.

Nantescalling · 23/02/2024 15:59

innerdesign · 23/02/2024 00:00

@Nantescalling @Soontobe60 yes it depends on the area. You'd be unlikely to get zopiclone on a hospital discharge either way unless it was a long term repeat though, regardless of whether you were getting it as an inpatient or not. Because it's habit-forming and desirable.

I strongly object to the fact that they pinch all you own meds when you go in - doesn't matter what they are for. They confiscated my diabetes meds and bipolar meds. Just what you need when you're already stressed out.

innerdesign · 23/02/2024 16:06

Nantescalling · 23/02/2024 15:59

I strongly object to the fact that they pinch all you own meds when you go in - doesn't matter what they are for. They confiscated my diabetes meds and bipolar meds. Just what you need when you're already stressed out.

Show quote history

I don't know who 'they' are supposed to be. Often medicines get lost during ward transfers, or administered and used up during admission. Controlled drugs should be locked in the ward safe, but should be given back to you on discharge if medically appropriate (note should, I know it doesn't always happen). Most patients don't even bring them in tbh. If both the hospital doctors and GP deemed it inappropriate to give you morphine, I'm assuming there was a reason for that.

Orangestheonlyfruit · 23/02/2024 16:35

BobbyBiscuits · 22/02/2024 17:03

@chiwwy That's it. British Pharma. Council. Their regulator.

Edited

It's the GPHC General Pharmaceutical Council if you want to report them. They are the keep of the register of pharmacists.

Soontobe60 · 23/02/2024 16:48

BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 10:21

@Soontobe60 They gave me a bag with one medicine in it. They did not give me the sleeping tablets. They repeatedly lied and said they did give me them.

I don't understand why you find it hard to get- the script was sent by the GP to them, they did not give me the tablets relating to that script but said they had done- How much clearer can I be?

If you knew it only had one meds in it, why didn’t you tell them at the time? It’s so confusing!

Soontobe60 · 23/02/2024 16:49

BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 10:25

@Airyfairy99 He nearly died from pyschosis caused by sleep depravation. So you don't know how serious it is/ could be if someone doesn't get what they are prescribed. The drugs themselves are not the point.

After one night?

Soontobe60 · 23/02/2024 16:54

BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 14:10

@wombat15 In answer to all three.

I opened the bag at home in front of him and we both saw just one medicine.

I heard the entire convo with the pharmacy on both occasions as it was on speaker.

The men told DH she was a trainee, when they tried to accuse her of lying.

Edited

So why on earth did you not go back to the pharmacy at that point knowing that your dh would be psychotic from a lack of sleep if he didn’t have his sleeping tablet? Why did you wait 2 days and let your dh phone them from his hospital bed after he had been blue lighted back in there?

Cactusmad · 23/02/2024 17:50

This all needs flagging up . Get the film evidence from the building . Write down in bullet points what has happened and when then contact the pharmaceutical society. There are strict rules for a reason. Shipman stole morphine. They may be innocent but it needs investigating.

Bouledeneige · 23/02/2024 17:53

Hoplolly sometimes the text alert that your medicine is ready is a fault at the GPs. They trigger it when they've signed off the prescription. It then has to pass to the pharmacy and they have to locate or order the medicine. Pharmacies do not have all drugs in stock all of the time. There are thousands of lines (over 4,000) and they get 4-6 deliveries a day. So they can't always automatically dispense. But you could sit in the pharmacy for a couple of hours waiting for their delivery!

Bouledeneige · 23/02/2024 17:54

The regulator of pharmacists is the GPhC.

Bouledeneige · 23/02/2024 18:00

I think it's a bit extreme to go to the GPhC over this. They would expect you to exhaust all avenues of complaint with the pharmacy before going to them with a specific complaint that called into question the professional competency and responsibilities of a pharmacist.

Personally it sounds like a mistake and genuine belief that the full prescription had been dispensed.

Weemammy21 · 23/02/2024 18:21

I would report it to the Police because they have stolen or kept your husbands medication.

BobbyBiscuits · 23/02/2024 18:39

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

wombat15 · 23/02/2024 19:24

Bouledeneige · 23/02/2024 18:00

I think it's a bit extreme to go to the GPhC over this. They would expect you to exhaust all avenues of complaint with the pharmacy before going to them with a specific complaint that called into question the professional competency and responsibilities of a pharmacist.

Personally it sounds like a mistake and genuine belief that the full prescription had been dispensed.

OP says that they said the trainee pharmacist was lying and also called OP a thief. If that is true it sounds a bit more dodgy and worth reporting in case this isn't a one off.

Islandgirl68 · 23/02/2024 19:40

Z

pollymere · 23/02/2024 20:21

I'm a little confused.

On your first visit, did they say they didn't have a prescription through for those 7SP? Or did you say they were missing/notice they were missing?

Why did the trainee pharmacist say they had the prescription and had given you the drugs?

The GP confirmed the prescription had been sent over. Did the pharmacist say it hadn't been received or that you'd been given the 7SP?

If this then became that you had been given the drugs you would've had to have signed the back of the prescription... If the TP or Pharmacist has signed it that would suggest narcotics fraud to me and a TP with a possible SP addiction. This definitely needs to be reported as it's a serious dereliction of duty and accountability. Do ask to see the signed prescription too. You usually have to sign each sheet so don't be fobbed off with the sheet that had the regular meds on. The computer should also be able to tell you when they received the prescription and when you apparently collected it too.

Chocolate101 · 23/02/2024 20:40

I just wanted to say it’s highly unlikely any staff member “stole” the tablets. They’re only a schedule 4 CD. No script or custody requirements. No records need to be kept. It would be far easier and less disruptive to take a full box from the drawer.