Wasting NHS resources ?

The service could be valuable to some elderly, house-bound people I suppose.

Perhaps they are ringing those of a certain age to see if who would benefit from it.

Reminds me of an initiative which came from our local council a couple of years ago, offering free burglar proofing to our houses if we were over a certain age. Well, it was free so we went for it. We never use the extra lock thing on our two outside doors though so I suppose it was a waste of money in our case.

This is a scam: www.bettsavenue.nhs.uk/news/pharmacy-initiative-scheme-cold-calling-patients/ Call the police.

Sorry this thread has appeared twice.
I haven't suddenly turned into a megalomaniac.
I posted it, and gibberish appeared. I posted it again before realising the whole site was down.

Petallus I realise that the service could be valuable to some people - my old aunt was virtually housebound in a rural area for some years and she really appreciated it.
But the point is that pharmacies and practices advertise this service themselves - I was suspicious that a third party was muscling in and diverting business away from small independent pharmacies, which I like to support.

I also think it's morally and ethically dubious to cold-call people, give the impression you are part if the NHS(which the person did, when she's not) and ask them questions like 'Does anyone in the household have a repeat prescription'.

As Mishap said. If it is a cold call it is a scam. Boots and Lloyds pharmacies all offer free renewal and delivery services, but you approach them they do not cold call you.

There must be somewhere we could put up big posters saying. IF IT IS A COLD CALL (FOR ANYTHING) IT IS PROBABLY A SCAM. Time and time again worried Gransnetters and their friends and relatives get bothered about being polite or whatever to cold callers and wondering whether the service they are being offered might be useful. If they called you, you didn't call them, just put the phone down on them.

I agree FlicketyB.
I'm inured to people wanting to replace my boiler, sell me solar panels, trying to convince me that I had payment protection insurance, or that someone in the family has had an accident, or that my computer has broken, and they all get short shrift.
And I'm fully signed up to the mantra, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

The woman said she was 'working with your GP practice' for the NHS.
It sounded very convincing and I had to be quite assertive in standing my ground, that I didn't want to sign up.

Although this marketing company's business is legitimate, allegedly there has been some suggestion of legal action against anyone criticising them. It isn't really a scam, so much as questionable marketing practices, and you don't really expect that from someone purporting to be working on behalf of the NHS.

This appears to be a scam. Could be an easy way of people getting their hands on drugs. I think the clue might be in "your Doctor's surgery" rather than "Doctor A******'s surgery". All they need is the electoral register which tells them who are over a certain age and probably make them repeat prescription holders.

Gateshead and South Tyneside CCG have taken it seriously enough to alert their solicitor, the police and NHS Fraud.

I had a leaflet through the post from a company offering the same. I do not know if it was the same company. They must have wasted a lot of money in this village, as our chemist does it anyway. I do not think the chemist would have approved.

I also had a leaflet in the post about a similar service. It is now in the recycling bin.

Posted on the other thread.

Thought I'd lost the plot for an instance.

Replied to you POGS

janeainsworth We are signed up with the Telephone Preference Service and if the cold call seems to be coming from a UK number we simple say: "We are signed up with the Telephone Preference Service we are recording this call as it is an illegal call and you can be prosecuted for making it' They ring off in nanoseconds.

Jane what did your GP surgery say about it all?

A private company [even one that gives the misleading impression it's working with your GP] and a scam are two different things.

FlicketyB We are supposed to be registered with the TPS too, so I'll try that strategy next time.

Roses the practice manager reassured me that the practice hadn't passed on my details. He emailed me copies of correspondence to practices from the North-east Commissioning Support Group, showing the level of concern about the activities of this company and asking for complaints from patients to be fed back to them via a questionnaire.

I've just emailed the NECS with details of the conversation I had.

I think the most pertinent questions were

Did the caller state they were a marketing company working on behalf of registered pharmacies? -No
Did the caller state they were operating on behalf of the NHS? - Not quite, they said they were 'in partnership'
Did the caller claim to be calling on behalf of any particular GP or GP practice? - No but implied it by saying they were working with 'your GP practice'.

Apparently this company is not doing anything illegal, but the morality of this behaviour within a healthcare setting is dubious indeed.
I was going to compare them with double-glazing salesmen, but that would be an insult to the double-glazing companies, most of whom probably have more ethics in their big toe than the Pharmacy Initiative.