Who will ok prescriptions?

[Butterbear86]

I can request them remotely but I’m worried there won’t be anyone there to ok them.
I’m worried about a lot of things but this worries me the most. Suddenly getting medication on which my life depends seems difficult and maybe even impossible.

I work in a GP surgery and we are open as normal, and will not close even if the country goes to lockdown.

I'm sure it won't come to that Butterbear.
As many GP surgeries are trying to cut down on face to face consultations, Docs will still be available to sign off on prescriptions and pharmacies have remained open even in countries in lockdown.

Larger surgeries sometimes have a prescribing pharmacist.

Mine were signed off and at the pharmacy within two hours on Monday.

I had a problem yesterday about my prescription. It's dated 24 March and I asked the pharmacist given the current situation could he fill it yesterday as I was going to start self-isolating due to being self-employed because if I get it I won't get paid. I'm on my own too with limited help available if I do get sick, if any at all. He said no.

I thought a bit of common sense and discretion wouldn't have gone amiss, especially as it's the smallest dose of levothyroxine. He said go and get the Dr to change the date on it - as if I'm going to waste the Dr's time doing that. It just means I have to go out again next week, when I really don't want to. Maybe it's against the law but I can imagine others are in the same boat and some government decision on this for pharmacists to use their discretion would be good (although appreciate there are other, bigger things to sort out first).

Many places are sending them electronically to a pharmacy of your choice so you don’t need to visit your surgery to get them

you should be totally fine getting your repeats sorted by the GP currently. I requested my repeat prescription for prescribed antihistamine for hayfever last week and it was available in the pharmacy in nomral time frame (ususally wouldnt start this till April but was trying to be prepared as my hayfever triggers asthma)

Receptionist was able to do my sons repeat prescription that had run out. They have been remarkably efficient in these tough times. Very impressed.

I've got the actual prescription - I get a year's worth of prescriptions in one go, so six actual prescriptions with dates on them that are two months apart. The next one to take into the pharmacist is dated for Monday 24 March. I just wanted to get the drug before then but the pharmacist wouldn't do it so I have to go out again next week. Just ridiculous.