Getting prescription delivered to workplace - OK or bad practice?

[SidhuVicious]

So, I recently restarted on the ADHD meds I took as a teen. Went via the RTC pathway and they're now prescribed by ADHD 360 with the idea that my GP will take over shared care once stabilised.

The issue is that they send the meds in the post to arrive the day before I need them and I'm never home to sign for them. My elderly neighbour agreed to help but missed the first two days claiming they didn't attempt (assuming she didn't hear the door) and the third time she was out, so that isn't really working.

I decided I'd just collect them from the post office depot in future but after failed delivery to my address on a Monday I wasn't able to get to the post office until the Saturday and went three days without my medication which caused severe withdrawal symptoms.

One of the managers suggested I get them delivered to work and this has been fine the past two months. However, today I got a call from a colleague whilst on a day's annual leave telling me that the other manager was furious and that I needed to go in immediately and collect them - had to leave my friend's house and do a two hour round trip in the traffic to collect them.

Manager was saying that I could've got them all in big trouble as the person that signed for them left them in the management office and big boss could've found them. Apparently he was saying to my colleague that the package 'looked suspicious' and said something about it probably being some dodgy steroids for my partner which I didn't want delivered to my house (he knows my partner is a big guy who competes in powerlifting, although he doesn't use anything of the sort). I'm guessing somebody must've mentioned it was medication.

I spoke to the manager in question and explained it was my medication and that the other manager had said it was fine and he immediately said I shouldn't be implicating other people and that his wife works for the NHS and he knows that prescriptions are not usually posted and signed for. I offered to open the box to show him the meds and also an email on my phone with my prescription.

He said I could absolutely not open it in front of the plant cameras as that would put him in the situation that he'd have to report it due to visual evidence implicating him and to just take it and leave site immediately. Wouldn't let me get a word in.

I'm a little staggered. The whole situation is fucking bonkers to me. Fair enough, I'd be happy to never order it to work in future but this seems completely disproportionate, especially as everybody is usually pretty chilled here usually and managers regularly do things like let us leave before our hours are up if they know the work is done for the day etc.

Anyway, aside from the odd comments about it being dodgy steroids etc I'm wondering if ordering prescriptions to work is generally a no no. I wasn't expecting it to arrive until Monday so usually would've been there to sign for it myself.

He doesn't have the right to deem certain medication more 'dodgy' seeming than another.

He does, because this is exactly what this is. It's not any ordinary medicine, it is a controlled substance, legally distinct from other prescription medicines.

Ds adhd med is a controlled drug and is delivered every month so I get it’s not easy. But it’s a controlled drug, if it was delivered to work and then went missing it would be a nightmare to sort out.

talk to the company who are prescribing and find a better solution.

Why would you think that? 50hr weeks are pretty common outside of office work, especially in construction. Truck drivers are pushing 60 hours easily.

Pretty standard hours for junior doctors although they are around on weekdays.
Good to hear something is still happening at HS2 I thought it would be grinding to a halt

@Catza Ok. I know what a CD is, and it has a blue script. I didn't know such things could be delivered and signed for by a stranger who's not the patient. I've always thought CDs must be collected f2f at a pharmacy, for that very reason.
So it seems like it's not OPs fault, but that of the pharmacy who sent it?
Either way how would the boss know the contents of the package? If I ordered thrush meds, hep c meds, HIV meds, I would hope it would not say so on the packaging?
It's not illegal drugs!
It's medicine, it's personal. Surely that's not anything for him to blow his top about on her.

In this case is there someone who could collect your medication from the chemist on your behalf? For instance a family member? If not then I'd ask your gp to send your prescription to a local pharmacy that is open late.

Sadly there's not as I've moved an hour away for work and wouldn't have time to go home in the week. It comes from ADHD 360 as it's not on shared care yet. I'll look into the supermarket chemist thing but not sure how that works.

Do they usually take delivery of prescriptions not ordered by themselves or would it just be the cashier putting it under the counter and me hoping the person now on shift can find it?

Have you not already declared you're taking concerta to your employer? When I worked on HS2 anything that would show up on a drugs test had to be declared

It's going hell for leather all over the Midlands atm.

Standard screening doesn't test for methylphenidate. It's not an amphetamine so doesn't show up as that contrary to what a lot of people seem to believe. It's a stimulant.

It was specifically on a restricted list you had to declare where I worked (engineering firm working on HS2). Colleague had to declare even though we just sat in an office.

My point still stands though! IF you can get the script sent to a pharmacy, why can't you collect it on a day you aren't working?

Well, if they will deliver it to a pharmacy then I probably can. Hence my question above about whether pharmacies will generally take delivery of prescriptions they haven't ordered. Can the courier just walk up to the counter in the supermarket pharmacy and ask the cashier to sign for a package?

I've only been told I need to declare medications that affect my driving/ability to operate machinery.

Op- my pharmacy have nothing to do with my medication as it’s prescribed by hospital and delivered by Sciensus who are nothing to do with my pharmacy. They just put it at the back for me and I pick it up.

As I said in my original post up thread, have you asked your specialist IF they can write a script which is delivered to a pharmacy of your choice, for THEM to fill the script, rather than whatever outside supplier is currently delivering them?

I never suggested the current supplier just delivering them to a random pharmacy somewhere and asking them to sign for them!!!

In my workplace, this would be an absolute non issue. But I guess this manager thinks there’s an issue. Why not ask him what the issue is? I don’t think it’s obvious or a given that this is a problem. So I think it’s fine to just ask what he is concerned about.

50+ hours are common in office work too.

No personal deliveries allowed where I work, let alone controlled drugs! You really shouldn't be having meds delivered to work.

I get my Concerta (when there's not a bloody shortage!!) dispensed from a branch of Boots in a mainline station so it's open 7am - 9pm as well as weekends.

Getting regular prescriptions when you work full time - even with long hours - is something that many people, millions even, manage to do without relying on them being sent to a workplace. Most areas will have at least one pharmacy that stays open late and the are are weekends too.

I assume if you are seen under the RTC at ADHD360 this may apply?

'For patients under our care as part of an NHS referral, and where we have a local agreement with your NHS commissioner, we may be able to issue an electronic NHS prescription which will be sent digitally to your preferred community pharmacy.'

Don’t be silly 😂 The OP doesn’t work 24/7, there is plenty of time when she’s not working to collect her meds without having to involve her employer.

my Ds is on Similar meds . He was under camhs during Covid
At the time i had to drive to camhs once a month to next town to collect prescription as it couldn’t go in the post .

He now has shared care with Gp and camhs but Gp just sent prescription over electronically .

There are lots of rules regarding CD’s that people aren’t aware of . They can’t be just kept under the counter at work .

The pharmacist has to keep them in a locked safe .

I can't see this happening tbh as ADHD 360 are partnered with Chemist4U. I'd have to call up and speak to their help desk where it'd just be a call handler. But maybe there's still a service where I can get it delivered to.

Tbf the guy that has heart issues at the site I work at (he works for end client) is given time off to go and get his medication. I don't work 24/7 but I have no chance of getting to most pharmacies Mon-Fri unless we're talking late night ones that are open till 7-8pm.

Although I wouldn't want to rock the boat on that as we're a contractor.

I appreciate this. But when it fails delivery on a mon/tue and I have just one day's medication left it's a problem if I can't get to post depot for another four days. I may have to see if they can issue a script to my local pharmacy. Even that could be an issue though because they regularly forget to order my other scripts which thankfully aren't as important.

Last time I went to the depot they claimed it must still be with the driver and I only got it because the lady took pity on me and searched for 25 mins after they had officially closed - it was sitting in a pile and hadn't been scanned back in. This was on a Saturday and I was due to go away for a fortnight 6am Monday so was quite the stress.