Help with repeat prescriptions - how do you have to do it?

[foxinsocks]

I'm just wondering how this works at your surgery. Dd has asthma which requires becotide and ventolin. Normally, when we get a prescription, we get another bit which we can drop off at the docs to get more inhalers. Last time that repeat ran out, I went in to see the doc who seemed to imply that I was mad for making an appointment just to get more inhalers so next time, I wrote out what I needed on a piece of paper and handed that in and this seemed to do because 2 days later, there was a prescription waiting for me.

This time, I did this about 2 weeks ago and went in twice and there is no prescription. Dd's cough is pretty bad at the mo so I went in and asked why there was no script for her. Nobody seemed to know and there were no notes saying we had to see the doc (but the one who normally signs her script is away) but the receptionist advised that we should get an appointment (or see the asthma nurse). But of course, we have that system where you phone at 8.30 and I couldn't get one today (gggrrr) and the asthma nurse only works on certain days next week(gggrrrr).

While we are not desperate yet, I am incensed at the whole sodding palava. Why is it so bloody difficult? All I want is an inhaler, it's not like I'm after opiods or anything ggrr. Now dd will probably have to take time off school next week just to get an appointment to get the inhaler and I will have to phone every bleeding day till I get through ggrrrrr.

I ring our GP's repeat script hotline, every fortnight, they preare the script and phone it through to the pharmacy next door.
They ring us.
We pick it up
As we get DLA for dd, they offer everytime to deliver as its a huge parcel of nutritional supplements.

that sounds infinitely more sensible

should also say, it's not like she hasn't seen the doc recently (probably about 2 months ago) so it's not like she requires an asthma check up

maybe I should just phone but our surgery is so anti patients talking to docs on the phone, she'd probably have to be on the verge of going to hospital before they would talk to me

The prescription sheet that my GP uses has a tear off section that you use for the repeat request. I always lose it, so I just write it out by hand. It always works.

The repeat prescription request has a date on it for an annual review, so we have to see the doctor around then.

does she have an inhaer still in use atm? or have you completely run out?

I either phone(but there rule is it has to be after 2pm!)the surgery or hand the slip into the local chemists.Also can go in and ask the receptionist for a repeat perscription and tell her what for.Should be added to the computer straight away.

no, we've not completely run out - the becotide is running low but we could survive till Monday (just I think). It's hard to tell with those inhalers. She tends to respond better to the brown than the blue but she is on the max dose of the brown one at the mo. This is the closest we've been - I just wish they could have told me last week when I checked on its progress that there was a problem.

have just phoned and we can see the asthma nurse on Monday at 4.30 (think she can do prescriptions and tbh, she's much nicer than any of the doctors!). The receptionist said 'are you sure she doesn't need a doctor because you can phone at 8.30 on Monday morning' ggrrr - honestly, you cannot get an appointment for love nor money there (you phone at 8.30, it's engaged for half an hour, you get through, all the appointments have gone!).

same here foxin. the only way to actually get seen to to queue at the surgery from 8am.

must drive you mad misdee

its totally insane. dd's all need new perscriptions for eczema stuff, atm they are using the reamins of dd1 bottle of cream (pump actiuon so not too worried about cross-contamination) and dd3 tube of fucidin H.

I tried to explain this to one of the GPs a while ago. If you are someone who gets sick once a year, then the system works fine. You phone when you are sick or queue that day and get an appointment. If you have children/partners with chronic illnesses (like asthma, eczema, diabetes etc.) so have to go more regularly, it is a complete and utter nightmare. It's all to do with the target that you get seen within 48 hours (is that the target? something like that).

Of course, what the figures don't show is that you can phone every day for a week and not get an appointment but because you don't even get through, it doesn't show that you have waited a week. ggrrrrr