How do I Stop My GP doing this?

[ValleyClouds]

Until late last year I had blister packs done by my Local Pharmacy (5 minute walk) of all my medications. I am disabled and on a fair few.

A brief change in my circumstances saw me have to come off blister packs for a few months but when this was over Local Pharmacy said they were “at capacity” and wouldn’t reinstate

I recently found that a Far Away Pharmacy will do blister packs and deliver them. All sorted.

The problem? When I get a prescription whereby the medication is not already in the blister pack such as today it’s an antibiotic the doctors are sending these medicines to the Far Away Pharmacy that I can’t get to instead of my Local Pharmacy 5 minutes away.

Far Away Pharmacy is just for the blister packs everything else should be Local

I’ve told them twice by email and now once on the phone, what else can I do ?

Why don't you just get ALL your prescriptions delivered? It would be so much easier for you not having to go to any pharmacy at all. That way you just have your nominated pharmacy as the one that does delivery (or is a wholly online chemist).

@SylvanMoon they don’t appear to do on the day delivery and I needed today

But for going forward (as you've indicated this is an ongoing issue), why don't you switch once you've got what you need today?

This is what a pharmacist did when I went away and forgot my suitcase. The pharmacist was able to re dispense it.

I’ll speak to Far Away next time I’m in the area & ask @SylvanMoon

I get this @ValleyClouds & it’s beyond frustrating when you’ve had multiple conversations with the Admin team at the GP. In my case it’s because my stoma supplies comes from a third party, specialist supplier. So when I place a prescription order for these items, it sends everyone, including the computer, into a complete meltdown 😂 Lots of folks are surprised to find that it is the GP rather than the colorectal or stoma team at the hospital, prescribing these items. I’ve resigned myself to a complicated conversation every so often with the GP team. Good luck 🤞🏻

It's really not. You should a) ask at the time to get it sent elsewhere before the GP does it OR b) ask for a paper copy. There isn't capacity on the system to say "blister pack to nominated pharmacy but antibiotics to another nominated pharmacy as and when prescribed."

I didn’t get the opportunity on this occasion @MissBattleaxe because at no point did I have the opportunity to directly speak to anyone it was all done via Patchs

Thanks @DoYouWantHalfThisSandwichSolidarity! Nothing easy when you’re managing several conditions alongside normal health issues

Can you speak to the Practice Manager? They have a lot more administrative skill than any of the doctors, and will be able to, at the very least, advise, even if they can't physically make a note on the system for you, like in the paper notes era!
*If the medicine is urgent, like an antibiotic, my practice usually ask if I want to collect the script or for them to fax it to a local pharmacy. I know not all do this, but it's a valid point; if your regular script goes to Far Away Pharmacy and they deliver once a month, that is not a route to speedy treatment of the random ailment that needs to be dealt with straight away.
Good luck!

You can change your nominated pharmacy in the NHS App. Might be worth doing in future before submitting an e-consult/patch for anything that might result in an urgent prescription. Then change it back once the prescription has been dispensed. Yes, it's slightly awkward, but there isn't a facility on GP systems to have a flagged note for these sort of things, and unflagged notes quickly disappear down the history.
It might sound simple to flag it, but they have to limit what is flagged as if everything gets flagged (similar to "pinning" a post at the top of a social media page) the system becomes virtually unusable and there's a risk of a clinician missing e.g. an allergy or safeguarding flag.

Thanks! @EskarinaSand @TheRingmistress

Actually, all you need to do is identify that specific chemist as your nominated pharmacy on your GP's prescription page online. I can change mine on the page where I order repeat prescriptions. If you can't do it there, all you need to do is call or email your GP practice and tell them the name and address of that Far Away chemist. You don't have to actually go to the place. I use an online chemist that doesn't even have a dispensary, Simplymeds. They're just a warehouse that fulfills prescriptions from around the country and sends them out.

As others have said, if you have the functionality on the NHS app it takes seconds to change the your pharmacy. Either leave your registered pharmacy as local pharmacy, and switch each time before and after requesting your repeat - or the other way around. I have also had success with asking to have some prescriptions sent to the Spine instead of direct to pharmacy. That works like an old-fashioned paper prescription, you just get a barcode in the NHS app that you can use anywhere, only better in that you can phone the pharmacy and ask them to pull it down from the spine, so is ready for you when you collect.

Thanks again!

I work at a GP surgery I wouldn't advise changing nominated pharmacy too often in case you forget to change it back not all pharmacies deliver or do dosette boxes. I would advise if you have a consultation and the GP is prescribing an acute item such as antibiotics that you ask them to issue as a one off to which ever pharmacy it is you want.

I’m a GP receptionist.
You can ask for the prescription to be sent to Local Pharmacy as a one off (although not guaranteed that the GP will actually remember but sometimes they’ll reissue it if they forgot).
If it’s already been issued you can ask Far Away Pharmacy to put it back on the spine which means that you can get it from anywhere. You may need the prescription reference number which the GP surgery will be able to give you.

Retired pharmacy assistant me.
Go to your nearest pharmacy with your NHS number. Ask them to pull the antibiotic script down off the spine for you.
if the far away pharmacy has already made up the script ask them to put it back on.

Ahh yes, the spine! I remember reading about that. Good advice!