Ordering medication

An older person with health vulnerabilities that need medication feels unwell takes their eye off the ball and is reprimanded. Good to know compassion and understanding are still alive in the world!! There’s a receptionist at our surgery who I’ve nicknamed Mrs Shouty. She only has one tone of voice, high pitched and loud - she never stops to take a breath. It’s hard to tell if she’s cross or not but I always feel that I’ve done something wrong!

I use Pharmacy 2You never any problems….

It just seems a shame that they cannot be a bit more understanding - I have no idea how someone with early dementia manages to get their drugs on time.

Shinamae - I am not sure how that might work with a dispensing rural practice or even if that is a choice out here.

grannyqueenie I would be tempted to say calmly "dont shout at me".
But then I suppose you risk being struck off the list for giving verbal abuse. However quietly and calmly.

Luckygirl3

It just seems a shame that they cannot be a bit more understanding - I have no idea how someone with early dementia manages to get their drugs on time.

Shinamae - I am not sure how that might work with a dispensing rural practice or even if that is a choice out here.

I’m not sure they have any restrictions on where they would deliver,it might be worth giving them a call…🤷‍♀️

I would not like to be a patient at that health centre
OH and I get a repeat prescription every 8 weeks, I phone for it ,sometimes a day early or a day late, I dial the number then there's a choice press 1 2 or 3 don't even have to speak to anyone, never a problem.and all the staff are always pleasant and polite. we also get our prescription delivered 2 days later.

I like the idea of their losing your custom - I don’t think they can stop you changing? As for the 8 week idea - bet they won’t because they’d lose out on dispensing fees.

When we lived on an island, an independent pharmacy served its three GP practices and the entire population. My regular medication was on a repeat prescription , I just picked it up at the pharmacy. I still do the same living on the mainland. If any different medication is required the GP informs my chosen local pharmacy who dispenses it to me.

Both pharmacies offer a free medication home- delivery service to housebound patients. AFAIK this is nationwide in Scotland.

I have looked up the use of systems like Pharmacy2You and it is possible with rural dispensing practices but - and it is a big but! - each order has to go via the practice who can OK it or not, so delays from that source are not eliminated. If that happened I would then be locked in a 3 way system to sort it out.

From AI ( but I checked it)
Your Rights and GP LimitsFree Choice: You can nominate an online pharmacy via the NHS App or directly through your chosen provider. Your GP surgery must respect this choice.No Veto Power: A GP cannot reject your choice of pharmacy purely out of preference or internal policy.

Crossed posts - awful

Luckygirl3

I have looked up the use of systems like Pharmacy2You and it is possible with rural dispensing practices but - and it is a big but! - each order has to go via the practice who can OK it or not, so delays from that source are not eliminated. If that happened I would then be locked in a 3 way system to sort it out.

Yes, it has to go to the surgery to be approved by the Doctor..

My daughter sorted the defensive receptionist. She just said nicely” Thankyou so much. You have been most helpful”! Receptionist nearly fell off her chair! It’s a tough job and it makes them hard I expect.
I’ve tried the nice approach and it works!

pably15

I would not like to be a patient at that health centre
OH and I get a repeat prescription every 8 weeks, I phone for it ,sometimes a day early or a day late, I dial the number then there's a choice press 1 2 or 3 don't even have to speak to anyone, never a problem.and all the staff are always pleasant and polite. we also get our prescription delivered 2 days later.

You can order repeat prescriptions on the NHS app, to be delivered for your collection, at a pharmacy of your choice.

Blimey……that’s all you need when you’re unwell! Sound like control freaks!

Pharmacy2u are brilliant! They seem to nudge the practice to approve the prescription better than I can and it’s delivered free of charge a few days later through the post. I also am in a rural
Practice.

Pharmacy2U are safe, but beware of ordering online. Speech Therapy recommended lozenges for DH that you can only get inline from abroad. I didn't realise that there are scam pharmacy websites looking perfectly genuine, I placed the order paying through Paypal and when I received no order confirmation, I checked on the Paypal website. The money had gone to an 'IT consultancy firm' in London! Paypal are investigating, but I have finally tracked down a genuine pharmacy in Ireland selling the lozenges.

I was with pharmacy2U for years, after my sister's recommendation. However, I have now deleted my account, because they became incompetent and kept not sending me my medication on time, and I ran out of medication on at least two occasions, and had to ask my doctor to prescribe more and collect it from the chemist! So I will never use them again. I even spoke to someone on the phone about it and was assured my medication would arrive in time and it still didn't! I gave them a second chance and it happened again. I now have my prescription sent to a local chemist and they text me when it's ready to collect. If I ran out I can now at least go there to collect it.

Pharmacy2 you is a huge company that has taken over from many small local pharmacies and put them out of business. Everybody who uses this company is contributing to putting pharmacies out of business.
Pharmacy2 you promotes themselves as part of the NHS but they aren’t at all, it’s just clever and cruel marketing.

Forgive me if I’m missing the point here, but you say the week before you order your medication. Are you literally limited to ordering on one day that week or does it cover 5-7 days? That’s very rigid if it’s only one day

And my repeat meds, I make sure I’ve got a minimum of 2 weeks supply to buffer any delays. Tho perhaps that’s not possible with some meds? I sometimes feel impatient with friends who’re perfectly compos mentis but regularly run out of crucial heart medication

I made a point of ordering mine a week early last month because I was away until the day it ran out. When I went to pick it up the prescription hadn't been sent (electronically) to the pharmacist...

i order my medication online on my gp's website and they send it electronically to pharmacy3u who then post it to me via royal mail. the whole process takes about a week.
pharmacy2u keep in touch via email so i know exactly what is happening.
i would never go back to taking my repeat prescription to the surgery and then picking it up to go to a chemist in person. so much easier doing it all online.

I do what Delene does so I don’t have to remember to order repeat prescriptions. My pharmacy would deliver too but at the moment I don’t need that. 🤞

I used to be able to order meds for 2 months at a time then it was reduced to monthly - apparently to reduce wastage - but obviosly a disadvantage for someone like me on quite a few things long term. If I order too early on the NHS app it gets refused so if I'm going away over the time they are due I have to write a letter explaining why I need them early!
Today the news had an item about the enormous amount of unused medication that is disposed of regularly so I understand the need to reduce wastage but you'd think it would be possible to be a little more flexible!