Pharmacy charade!

Cagsy

The overuse of antibiotics is a real threat to us all so I think it should be by prescription only. They only work on bacterial infections but lots of people with viral infections think they should be given them.

Antibiotic eye drops are topical but best to ask a pharmacist (or GP if you can get an appointment) first.

BlueBelle

Boots won’t sell eye drops to people over 65 well they wouldn’t me using my age as the reason the same happens with cystitis first response tables

Update:
Strangely, I have conjunctivitis (is it catching through Gransnet?) and can't even remember the last time I had it.

Having just read this thread, I checked with the GP surgery and was reliably informed that yes, antibiotic eye drops can be sold by a pharmacist and that no, medicine for a UTI cannot be sold by a pharmacist to anyone over 65.

So off to the chemist I went - £8.75 later I have started using the drops and 🤞.

I tried doing same when I had cystitis but pharmacist couldn’t do anything because I was over 75, apparently our hormones are different!

Cagsy

The overuse of antibiotics is a real threat to us all so I think it should be by prescription only. They only work on bacterial infections but lots of people with viral infections think they should be given them.

I agree with that. But do think it’s gone a bit too far. I seem to remember my daughter struggling to get a doctor to prescribe something for her son’s ear infection. I do remember, when I worked at a surgery, patients getting angry with doctors refusing to prescribe antibiotics for things that didn’t require them because they just expected the doctor to hand them out like sweets.

I had reason to contact 111 online just after Christmas and was promised a call back in 2 hours. It was about 6pm on a Saturday. No call came until 6am🫤

I do agree that it’s so frustrating not to be able to get treatment from a pharmacy for a minor problem. I realised on a Saturday morning just before Christmas that I had cystitis. I’m too old to get help for this at the pharmacy so I called 111. I was promised a call from a doctor which came in less than 2 hours. After a discussion he told me he was sending a prescription to my local branch of Boots which is 10 minutes walk from my house. I was so impressed with this service and realise how lucky I was.

The overuse of antibiotics is a real threat to us all so I think it should be by prescription only. They only work on bacterial infections but lots of people with viral infections think they should be given them.

EllieW

Good Lord Some of these comments are really winding me up! I retired from the Pharmacist register on December 31st and I have to say the introduction of Pharmacy First just finished me off, or rather the attitude of the public when we try to explain that we can only prescribe under strictly controlled protocols laid down by the NHS. It is incredibly frustrating when a lady aged 66 presents with an uncomplicated UTI and we are not allowed to prescribe nitrofurantoin because of the age limitation in the protocol. That same patient then turns up to collect nitrofurantoin prescribed by her GP. Regarding eye infections, we are allowed to sell chloramphenicol ( antibiotic) eye drops and ointment but not if the eye is painful as this can be indicative of something a lot more serious than a simple eye infection, such as uveitis, so we have to refer to the GP. Most pharmacies are desperately struggling due to lack of remuneration ( show me another business who will supply goods for a lower price than they have bought them for -this is genuinely happening- look at how many pharmacies have closed in the last 2 years as they are not financially viable) Add to this the difficulty in obtaining even basic drugs sometimes, and the understaffing caused by the lack of adequate remuneration, plus the abuse when we cannot supply a very important medication and you might begin to understand our frustration. I'm glad I am out of it but feel for the colleagues I have left behind.

I 100% agree. I worked in a community pharmacy for five years and the entitlement and rudeness of some customers was breathtaking. Following the rules isn't appreciated.

Quite apart from that I was told it would be my fault if someone's mum died because we didn't have her prescription (my own dear mum had recently died) and whilst working during covid (yes, we did) and waiting for my own cancer surgery I was told in no uncertain terms that it was "alright for me, but they had to isolate".

I no longer work in pharmacy, it's a thankless job. Posts like this still make me angry.

EllieW

Good Lord Some of these comments are really winding me up! I retired from the Pharmacist register on December 31st and I have to say the introduction of Pharmacy First just finished me off, or rather the attitude of the public when we try to explain that we can only prescribe under strictly controlled protocols laid down by the NHS. It is incredibly frustrating when a lady aged 66 presents with an uncomplicated UTI and we are not allowed to prescribe nitrofurantoin because of the age limitation in the protocol. That same patient then turns up to collect nitrofurantoin prescribed by her GP. Regarding eye infections, we are allowed to sell chloramphenicol ( antibiotic) eye drops and ointment but not if the eye is painful as this can be indicative of something a lot more serious than a simple eye infection, such as uveitis, so we have to refer to the GP. Most pharmacies are desperately struggling due to lack of remuneration ( show me another business who will supply goods for a lower price than they have bought them for -this is genuinely happening- look at how many pharmacies have closed in the last 2 years as they are not financially viable) Add to this the difficulty in obtaining even basic drugs sometimes, and the understaffing caused by the lack of adequate remuneration, plus the abuse when we cannot supply a very important medication and you might begin to understand our frustration. I'm glad I am out of it but feel for the colleagues I have left behind.

Thank you for your insight, you have explained a lot.

Daffydilly

I think 'inadequate' is a very poor choice of words. No doubt you'd be the first to complain if you'd been given what you wanted and it made it worse.

The front line indeed.

Surely it can be called inadequate if 4 pharmacies refuse to sell and one doesn't? One way or another it is wrong. Either 4 pharmacies are wrong or one pharmacy is. Coupled with the fact that you are asked to go to a pharmacy before going to a GP.
I have been advised by my GP's receptionist that my problem is ok for a pharmacist to sort out and the pharmacy has said I need to see the GP. Getting past the receptionist was difficult when I returned to her because she was adamant I didn't need to get advice from the GP. The system is broken therefore inadequate.

I think 'inadequate' is a very poor choice of words. No doubt you'd be the first to complain if you'd been given what you wanted and it made it worse.

The front line indeed.

EllieW, I understand your frustration but to be fair to the GNers, they are suffering from a lack of joined up thinking in a lot of cases. Either the GP is giving bad advice, like he did to me as I wasn't allowed to just buy what I needed because of my age, or the Pharmacist was being abundantly over cautious. In my case, I suspect it was the GP because anybody could say that they had talked to their GP.

Homestead62

What is this nonsense about over 65? I think I'm old enough to know if I have Thrush or not. Strange coincidence but I had gone into Boots today to ask for eye drops for my husband. They wouldn't sell me them, instead he's to wash his eye with cooled boiled water with salt in. Yet, when we phone the health centre, the recorded message lists a whole load of complaints you've to attend the pharmacy for! What's the point if they are not going to help you due to ageist nonsense.

I'm sure they'll sell you Canestan for thrush, whatever age you are. It's cystitis they aren't keen to give you anything for, not even the OTC stuff. Something to do with a UTI can be disguising more serious issues.

On the other hand, the NHS should not be advertising this new Pharmacy First service without making it clear that there are so many limitations around it

I agree. We are told by the NHS not to bother our GP or go to Outpatients if it is something 'simple' that can be sorted by a pharmacist then put restrictions on what a Pharmacist can do.

I agree about eyes, I had a painful eye last year but had to go to a dispensing optician (not easy to find one and it was a long way away) who didn't know either but concluded it was a migraine in the eye.

I should have said that, in the past, you could get an urgent GP appointment for this, but urgent appointments are very rare now.

EllieW - I understand your frustration and am aware of restrictions on some things such as medication for UTIs and cystitis by age.
On the other hand, the NHS should not be advertising this new Pharmacy First service without making it clear that there are so many limitations around it. I was pleased to see that it treated infected insect bites, which I am prone to, as I thought it would save a trip to A&E or Minor Injuries. The first pharmacy I went to said that it looked awful but it was too soon after the bite for them to prescribe. The next day I went back, but the pharmacist was too busy doing prescriptions to speak to me. I went to another pharmacy where they said it was too serious for them to deal with, and I should go to minor injuries or A&E - it was obviously worse having been left another day. Minor injuries prescribed steroids as well as antibiotics, as it had been left too long.

Good Lord Some of these comments are really winding me up! I retired from the Pharmacist register on December 31st and I have to say the introduction of Pharmacy First just finished me off, or rather the attitude of the public when we try to explain that we can only prescribe under strictly controlled protocols laid down by the NHS. It is incredibly frustrating when a lady aged 66 presents with an uncomplicated UTI and we are not allowed to prescribe nitrofurantoin because of the age limitation in the protocol. That same patient then turns up to collect nitrofurantoin prescribed by her GP. Regarding eye infections, we are allowed to sell chloramphenicol ( antibiotic) eye drops and ointment but not if the eye is painful as this can be indicative of something a lot more serious than a simple eye infection, such as uveitis, so we have to refer to the GP. Most pharmacies are desperately struggling due to lack of remuneration ( show me another business who will supply goods for a lower price than they have bought them for -this is genuinely happening- look at how many pharmacies have closed in the last 2 years as they are not financially viable) Add to this the difficulty in obtaining even basic drugs sometimes, and the understaffing caused by the lack of adequate remuneration, plus the abuse when we cannot supply a very important medication and you might begin to understand our frustration. I'm glad I am out of it but feel for the colleagues I have left behind.

I find Boots pharmacy assistant to be very unhelpful.

You get bombarded with loads of health questions and usually walk away empty handed.

I never go there now. It’s too of putting.

Now I keep a bottle of optrex eyedrops with chloramphenicol in the cupboard in case anyone in the family has an eye infection.

I have had antibiotic cream and drops from chemist for eye infections but they couldn’t give mill tablets

If you buy them online they dont know what age you are!

When my husband went to buy the stuff for my eyes from the pharmacy which the Dr had recommended, the pharmacy wouldn't sell it to him because I was over 60 despite him telling them I had spoken to the GP. He had to go to another pharmacy and lie about my age!

You can easily get antibiotics online. You will have to pay postage but it will save the trouble of trekking around. Just say its for cystitis. in the online questionnaire. A broad spectrum antibiotic will cure a range of things.

I worked in a pharmacy, we to have laws to abide by. We do take exams to sell and dispense medication. There is always a reason why, often because the symptoms described can be other more serious things. For example I refused to sell another bottle of eye drops for conjunctivitis to a lady who wasn't happy at all but off she went to the doctors to find she had Iritas and needed prompt treatment before sight loss. She had the guts to come back and apologise and say thank you.

In one pharmacy I pleaded, explaining that the little tube of Golden Eye ointment would prevent further damage to my eye and negate the need for a GP appointment.

No NHS advice is to bathe with cooled boiled salt water for up to 2 weeks.

Other advice online states that eye infection should be treated quickly to prevent potential spread and damage to sight.

No wonder you cannot get a doctors appointment when basic medicines that are actually there for sale cannot be purchased.