5 days to fill a prescription.

[spanieleyes22]

Is this really the norm now? So my story is dd came back from uni with horrible rash from neck to knees. I said she needed doc. Couldn't get appt so went to pharmacy . The pharmacist didn't know what it was and said see a doc asap. Finally got telephone appt on Tues. doc said it's viral. Said she would write a script for so steroid cream which should help. I couldn't get to the pharmacy on wed and dd managed with calamine and moisturizer. Pharmacy closes at 6. I should have picked one that stayed open late I wasn't thinking. So went at lunch today. Answer was it takes 5 days to prepare the prescription . They only got it from the doc this morn. So that would be next wed she told me to come back . I made a bit of a fuss and said the rash was all over her body and she needed it. Eventually she went and looked and told me it was out of stock anyway. Ended up she gave me the prescription and I have to drive round and find somewhere that has it. She said no boots will have it. Is that the norm now. That scripts take 2 days to travel from doc surgery to chemist then they take 5 days to prepare it. Seems terrible to me. I'm used to walking out the doc straight into the pharmacy and getting the medication but I'm from Dublin. Seems very different here?

@spanieleyes22 I have been in Superdrug numerous times and watched as assistants from Boots came in to get prescriptions made up! boots dont seem to keep much stock of anything nowadays!! as for getting script, my docs can take up to a fortnight to send a script throught to pharmacy and it is right next door!! go figure!

PS fair play to you lol

It will depend on the drug itself, the pharmacy and what it’s for. Non urgent things will take longer. A viral rash is none urgent.

That's ridiculous but must be area related or something?
Last time I saw the nurse practitioner at my surgery, she did the prescription, sent it to my local pharmacy and it was there by the time I'd driven the 15 minutes it took to get there. Pharmacist dispensed there and then. Repeat prescriptions I do via the NHS app, raised over the weekend, approved Monday, occasionally Tuesday, available from the pharmacy Wednesday onwards. Was forever thus, even in the days before electronic prescriptions.

I'm in England (rural Essex).
By the time we've walked from the surgery to the pharmacy at the end of the road, the prescription will be there.
We've never had to wait more than 10 mins for it to be filled.

My old village surgery had a pharmacy within it. That was useful.

I think it varies hugely. I do feel very fortunate and do not take the service we have for granted.

Yes we have had a nightmare lately it’s even harder as I’m only allowed my repeats weekly but they want me to order it before I have even received that weeks and the GPs won’t do it

Boots are notorious for this.

I've changed to a smaller chemist and get it straight away.

5 days is ridiculous and hopefully not normal!
I can walk out of my GP, go to the pharmacy and collect there and then , or come back the next day if they have to order something.
I had a physio appointment at my GP yesterday, she wanted to check with my GP whether I could have ibuprofen yet due to stomach issues. Receptionist rang this morning to say where would I like the prescription delivered, to local chemist to collect later today , or it will be delivered to my home tomorrow! My surgery and pharmacy are fab, so efficient.

That's what I thought was more normal. This boots woman said I needed to come back next Wednesday. She couldn't guarantee it would be ready but hoped it would be. She said I can't phone them as they are too busy to answer phones.

When the GP prescribed a steroid cream for my husband, he said it was in short supply and he may not be able to find it; still prescribed it though. He had to go to 5 pharmacies before he found anyone with it in stock.

Then I'd say that's not the norm for my local chemist. They didn't have my hrt once and I took the token to boots and they had it. Vice versaly (is that even a word) I find my local boots in general a bit naff and try to avoid.

Just came in from docs appointment with my daughter for an skin itch that won't go away after a few weeks. I asked for a paper script and was declined. They said they had sent her eps script to our pharmacy but I know it won't be ready now. Will nip out in an hour before they close. Fingers crossed

"Be ready in 5 days. Only when I made a fuss she said ok I'll have a look. Then she said I don't have it . I don't think this was a supply issue. It's ther protocol. Every script takes 5 days to prepare. That's before they even check its in stock or not"

If that's so don't ever go back to that pharmacy. I've never heard of anyone behave like that. I think its much more likely she meant that the drug was going to take five days to order in. Which is still scandalous - especially if its steroid cream. But the drugs going out of supply are really random. Dry eye is an effect of some MH drugs and we can't prescribe lubricating eye ointment for sore eyes atm because its not available anywhere.

Typically prescriptions get filled asap. That should be sooner than five days. Pharmacists are working at capacity trying to source drugs atm and sometimes there is miscommunication about this. But I think it is vanishingly unlikely this pharmacy has a protocol of only fulfilling scripts in five days time as that would be really stupid.

@Otherstories2002 I would love to see you with an itchy bumpy rash from your neck to your knees and say it's grand you can easily wait a week for relief

That sounds more like I remember . Luckily we haven't been to doc for years

The pharmacy I used to use is located in the same building as the doctor's surgery. It takes them 10 working days to issue meds on prescriptions... I changed pharmacy and they're able to issue the meds same day.

Ireland only has two pharmaceutical distributors, if they have it in stock then it will be delivered the next day or that afternoon to pharmacies, If its not in stock it depends on the lead time of the manufacturer. There are shortages here aswell, Brexit caused us a nightmare, aswell as other issues with medicine production. Pharmacies try to over come this by offering other brands or what else is suitable if not you have to wait. Also if you were in Dublin , both distributors can delivery to pharmacies quick as they of course are in Dublin too. Lucky enough now your in the Uk you wont pay a fortune for your prescriptions unless you had the medical card

Everyone is getting hung up on it being out of stock. But this is what happened. She looked on the computer. Said to me oh that only came in this morning. It will take 5 days to prepare.

She didn't know it was out of stock then.

I then said but she needs it now.

I made a fuss

She said wait a minute and I will check. She came back with the paper script and said it's out of stock anyway so do you want me to order it. Then I said no she needs it. So that's when she said check other places but no boots will have it.

1. you can buy steroid creams over the counter.

2. electronic prescriptions can be recalled at different chemists so you don't have to stick to a specific one.

OK well that's really crap. If It's Boots they are notorious for being quite crap.

But you may well find another much more helpful pharmacist elsewhere. Honest. Its not standard.

I think it very much depends on the pharmacy. I was messed about by Boots and found a local independent who is so helpful. They scoured round to get my HRT meds when they were scarce so I go there all the time. Yesterday I needed antibiotics and they gave me them while waited

. Made the phone call to Gp at 14.45.. saw a nurse practitioner at 16.15 and had the prescription filled by 17.00...

The UK seems to have been sleepwalking into a situation that accepts things like this as being normal and unavoidable.

I live in a EU country. To get my repeat medication I call the surgery (I'm only surprised that I can't do this online) and they order it there and then on an electronic system. As we have electronic health cards, I can then walk into any pharmacy here and my medicine will be provided. The order is instant - I can literally be standing outside the pharmacy and walk in as soon as I put the phone down. If it is not in stock, the pharmacist will order it and it will be available the same afternoon or next morning (assuming that it is not subject to current shortages).

There is a pre-approval system for 3 months, after which I have to speak to the GP, but as I can walk in at any time and see a GP this is not a problem.

This is what a modern healthcare service should be able to provide - but thanks to Hunt and the other clowns who have been Health Ministers over the last 14 years, the damage that their incompetence and fantasy economic "austerity" models have caused will take years to rectify.

Definitely not normal to me, DS saw the doctor last week for an ear infection. She sent the prescription through to Boots there and then, and half an hour later I went to pick it up, just had a 10 minute wait while they put it together.

How come she didn't tell me that then. Omg how is this so hard. I feel so stressed. People are saying I'm unreasonable as it's not urgent. That she doesn't need the steroid cream anyway. That i don't even need a prescription ?? I think I do need one or why didn't doc tell me that

I'm happy to hear this. I am getting so scared wondering what would happen if any of us got sick. Why did it take doc 2 days to send it to pharmacy. Live and learn I suppose.

I followed the doc instructions. She said where do you want the prescription to be sent. So I just said nearest chemist . I don't know how you're meant to know all these little tricks