to feel cross at this waste of NHS resources and breach of confidentiality?

I got a letter that "looked" as if it was from the NHS asking if I would like my prescription delivered, I thought it might be a good idea so filled it in and sent it off. In reply I got a letter from a company, in I think Manchester, (I live in the southeast) thanking me for my custom and saying they would deliver all my prescriptions in 3 workings days. Not good if I had an infection and needed anti-biotics on a Friday.
Emailed asked to be removed from their list, said I thought it was dishonest to set up as if from the NHS, heard nothing, phoned had a rant and eventually got a letter confirming removal from list. BEWARE

And Boots is now owned by Walgreen, a huge American company. And we all know how they run their health system.

I stopped collecting my prescription from boots when they started questioning me about it. Not the pharmacist but a young man whom was giving out the meds.

I'm only just catching up with the full ramifications of changes within the NHS. This morning I heard someone saying on the radio that the secretary of state no longer has a duty to ensure that free health care is available for everyone in England and that the future we can look forward to is GP surgeries and hospitals closing and health care being turned over to private companies. Some people will find themselves living in health care black holes where these services are simply not available. Perhaps the kind of service you were offered is an example of that.

I'm going to a talk tomorrow night and I think I am going to come home depressed. Will it become like the energy companies? Endless calls from 'health providers', lots of choice but limited care? Horrors, I hope not.

janeinsworth

Yes I did note that was your action.

I was agreeing with you actually.

Perhaps I should have stated that as my post could read a tad like a lecture.

That's what I did Pogs and we agreed I would forward my concerns to the CCG - they are dealing with it, as it's nothing to do with the practices.

If they had to ask if anybody had a repeat prescription I would immediately have thought this is a scam.

If they were ringing in partnership with my doctor's surgery and they had given the company my number they would have known if anybody had a repeat prescription from the start.

I would be very angry with their marketing ploy and reported it to my surgery immediately.

I am assuming that we will be safe from this intrusion as no-one in their right mind would offer to deliver anything out here in the wilds!

That's appalling. Like you I would have assumed they got the details from my gp as would a lot of vulnerable people who would have probably agreed to having their meds delivered because they thought it was what their doctor wanted them to do.

Thanks Mishap, that's the one.
I had a very swift response from the practice manager at our GP practice assuring me that they would never pass on patients' details (as I was pretty sure they wouldn't) and asking me to exercise caution in what I said for legal reasons

I'm feeling very that the NHS is having to devolve resources to dealing with aggressive marketing companies.

Our latest grouse re prescriptions is that DH has 'moved' pharmacist for his many, many repeat prescriptions from the all powerful but infallibly inefficient and slow Boots to a small independent pharmacy along the road. He has since seen on the website that Boots has overridden his decision to move and he appears as registered with Boots as his chemist. He was incandescent!!!

Jane as I understand things, GP practices have nothing to do with this - it's that there are many companies trying to muscle-in on the lucrative NHS prescriptions service.

www.bettsavenue.nhs.uk/news/pharmacy-initiative-scheme-cold-calling-patients/