Find out what Mumsnet users thought of Echo by Lloyd’s Pharmacy

[JustineBMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the Mumsnet users who have been testing Echo by Lloyd’s Pharmacy to get their prescription delivered to their door. Interested in using the service yourself? Find out more and sign up here.

Here’s what Echo has to say: “Every day Echo by LloydsPharmacy helps thousands of people get the medicine they need. We work with NHS England GPs to take care of repeat prescriptions. Using Echo by LloydsPharmacy will give you:
- Handy reminders for when to take and reorder
- Power family medicine management - you can easily manage your child, spouse or parent's medicine.
- Fast and free delivery”

Testers, please answer the following questions, as well as giving any other feedback you have and completing the short survey we’ve emailed to you.

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?
2. What was the best thing about using Echo?
3. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why?

All selected testers who give the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

If I was echo I’d been asking mumsnet for my money back.

Communication has been dire

1How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions? Time saver as used to spend ages queuing in pharmacy and waiting for prescription to be done by Gp. It’s real quick .

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

Ease. Pr scription fits through door.

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why? Definitely. So much easier

1. I was emailing in prescription requests which were then sent to the pharmacy. I would wait until it was available to collect.
2. Very convenient. I got a reminder asking me if I was ready to order my repeat prescription. Once I replied it was delivered to the house a few days later.
3. Yes, will continue to use. Planning to use for my children as well once their medications are set up on repeat.

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?

Easier to use and track the delivery.

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

The fact that I know when my prescription is dispatched and it has tracking number.

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why?

Yes it is certainly superior to my previous service provider.

I would have loved to have tried this service but unfortunately was told that it's unavailable where I live in the UK. I hope it comes here soon as I'm definitely interested!

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?

Not very well. When I signed up on Echo’s website it said I would get a reminder 10 days before the prescription was due. I said it was due on 30 November so was expecting the reminder on the 20th. I checked my inbox and junk mail but there was nothing, so I logged onto the website (on the 20th) and tried requesting the prescription. I got a message which sounded like my GP wasn’t going to work with Echo. I can’t remember the wording but put the message on this forum. No one replied so I assumed I would just order my prescription in the usual way (online a few days before I need it). When I came to order (through the doctor/patient website) I was surprised to receive a message from Echo saying they would send the prescription. Some days later I got an email from Echo and Royal Mail saying the prescription would arrive this morning. It’s now evening and it still hasn’t arrived. If I had ordered my prescription the usual way I would have had it by now.

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

Unfortunately my experience with Echo hasn’t been good so there isn’t anything.

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why?

I can see the benefits of using Echo if a household has to self isolate. For this reason, I will stay with Echo for at least another month (and make sure I order the prescription well in advance) but if I have more problems I will not continue to use it. Sorry I can’t be more positive.

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?

I found it worked wonderfully. It took about 10 minutes to set up with my current medicines and doctor information. I used the packaging from my medication to put the exact name of it in. I then popped in the date that I would run out and I got an email asking me to order around 2-3 weeks ago. These do go into the junk email to begin with unless you add echo as a safe sender. I received my medication through the post today, delivered with my regular mail. The postman did knock on the door to deliver but I think this was because he knew we were home.

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

The ease of doing everything from home. I struggle to wear a mask and get to the pharmacy as I am 30 weeks pregnant so this was much more convenient!

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why?

I definitely will as there is absolutely no reason not to. The medication arrived before I needed it, it was extremely convenient and I Am really impressed. Thanks for letting me test out this service, as I probably wouldn’t have bothered making the change otherwise.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to use the service :( my doctors use an online system that needs to be linked to it and due to all the Covid restrictions I’ve not been able to go in just to get my account set up again. I then had to stop my ADHD meds and haven’t got my new prescription yet anyway. I wasn’t sure if I should still do the survey or not?

(Actually gutted as I wanted to try it for all of us before the product test was posted! We will still get it set up for DH I think.)

Testers, please answer the following questions, as well as giving any other feedback you have and completing the short survey we’ve emailed to you.

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?

Much less hassle - as a single mum of 4 having the prescriptions delivered to my door is much easier, no time constraints and worries about having free time to get there in time. Also easy to order online and reminders are sent.

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

The fact it is delivered to your home, changing over was also hassle free and the whole order arrived - ive had problems recently with not all my items being there when I've collected causing me to have to pick up multiple times.

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why?

Yes it's much easier and my sons require prescriptions regularly due to their condition so it's taken a lot of stress off of me.

1 How does using Echo compare...?
I really struggled to use the app. It should have been easy, but.. actually I don't think it was.
2 What was the best thing about using it? I don't feel qualified to answer this question as I struggled to set it up, we never received a prescription through Echo.
3 Will you continue using Echo?
No, it was more complicated than it should have been.

I don't think I was the target audience, as we only have prescriptions irregularly. The whole idea I think is excellent, and clearly for the majority, worked very well.

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?

OMG! Where to start?! I use HRT patches and have had MASSIVE problems getting supplies of them. (Remember the Mumsnet campaign with the Daily Express? Nothing seems to have changed....) I used to phone round the local pharmacies to see which ones had the right size in stock, then ring my GP to ask them pretty please to get a prescription done quickly so I could leg it to get them before they were allocated to someone else.
Very stressful, time consuming, costly and extra unneccessary hassle for my fab GP practice.

Echo's service provided a perfect service, taking away all of the above aggravation. I am so pleased to have signed up with them.

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

The Echo service was very slick and I got my patches delivered by Royal Mail tracked service a day earlier than expected. No phone calls, no need to bother my surgery and no traipsing around in local germ ridden pharmacies! Job done

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why? Absolutely definitely. As long as they can supply the HRT patches, I will continue to use them.

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?

It was much more convenient.

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

It was so convenient especially that it knew when a prescription needs ordering.

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why?

Yes

Posted too soon we will carry on using it because it is so convenient

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?

I wanted to try Echo to avoid the long Covid queues at my doctor’s surgery and pharmacy. Having to drop in a repeat prescription and pick up the medication several times a month was becoming increasingly inconvenient. Sorting out my prescriptions online was quick and easy.
The only negative was the delivery. I had a message from Royal Mail to say it would be delivered before 9pm that day. It wasn’t. I had the same message the following day, then another to say it had been delivered. I had not received my medication and spent a day trying to track it down, eventually to discover that the postman had left it with a neighbour as the package was too big to fit through my letterbox.
(The medication itself could easily have been packaged to fit through a letterbox - the packaging was excessive)

1. What was the best thing about using Echo?

The ease of ordering medication online whilst avoiding the queues at my local pharmacy/gp surgery, especially during covid. Free delivery.

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why? Yes. I’ll continue to try Echo but hope that future orders are packaged appropriately to fit through a letterbox.

1. How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions? It definitely saves time
2. What was the best thing about using Echo? not having to travel to pharmacy
3. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why? yes, I will

I've been wanting to try home delivery for quite some time, unfortunately my local chemist doesn't support this. Due to ongoing health complications, I've spent the last couple of years on a lot of bedrest and have been at the mercy of others free time to collect and deliver, and many times this has involved several calls and frustration because the meds aren't ready..

How does using Echo compare to the previous way you managed your prescriptions?
Before using Echo, I would email a repeat request to be sent to my a local chemist, cross my fingers and hope for the best.

What was the best thing about using Echo?
Extremely easy to set up and add the medications using a drop down list so no trying to guess some of the spellings!!
Alert when trying to order medication too early.
New meds can be easily added by the GP and it's very easy for them to override the system for emergency medications. Reverting this back to Echo was also incredibly easy and can be done via the app, or my gp could have done this.
I can also add other household members medications onto my account should the need arise.

1. Will you continue using Echo or not, and why?

Yea I will as long as their service remains reliable and easy to use.

The only issue I had was RM. The meds are sent using RM 48 delivery. The tracking never updated during this time, and they took 4 days to arrive. Hopefully this is just because of the time of year.

The packaging was also way too big for the medications, so a lot of cardboard wastage.

@MNHQ I have deleted the link for the survey. Could it be posted or remailed to me? Thanks