Since the virus started to do its dirty work, both my local GP surgeries have closed, along with 7 out of 9 in a rural practice extending over some 14 miles. We are told to order prescriptions 7 days in advance and collect them from the one practice that is still open in the nearest town 5 miles away. Having ordered 8 days ago, I went today to collect insulin and test strips. The dispensary queue extended down the street and round the corner, all of us keeping the requisite distance. Some 45 minutes later, I reached the desk. I was told that the prescription had been dispensed that day by the surgery over the road, but the door there was locked and there was no way it could come to where I was waiting. The person at the desk was almost in tears, she complained to her colleague that the situation was "Doing my head in" and had happened many times that day. I tried to express sympathy and asked how long in advance I needed to order. She told me about a fortnight. I am not worried as I have enough of most things to last that time, and I could probably make an on-line/telephone appointment for a paper prescription if push came to shove. All the same, I am concerned that the system on which our lives depend is so fragile. I imagine that, in these times, this is a fairly standard experience. How do others find it?
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Greater Difficulty Obtaining Prescriptions
- Thread starter JohnWhi
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Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
My last prescription request seemed to vanish mysteriously. I made the request online, just as I've been doing for over a year, but (having not got a message from the pharmacy after a few days) gave Boots a ring to find they hadn't received it. And when I rang the GP surgery they didn't know about it.
I was startled because the online service has a little checkbox thing indicating that indicates (they say) the request "has been viewed by the practice". But yesterday I made another request only to notice that right away that checkbox has been marked, so likely it doesn't actually mean anything. (Or maybe my practice has some automated thing that prints out all the requests as they appear, or something.)
But in better times it's worked fine: I make the request online and Boots sends me a text message when it's ready, and I go and collect it. (I hope this last incident was just a one-off.)
AndBreathe
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- In remission from Type 2
Bruce - I don't know what online services your GP offers, or you might be signed up for, but when I order my thyroid meds (that's all I take or use), I tend to do it first thing (I set myself a reminder when it's due), then look at my record later in the day, and can usually see that the script has been generated. I can then trundle to pick it up a day or so later.
Would any of that be available to you?
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Ours are submitted online but do not get taken off the system and submitted to an actual doctor until at least the next morning, The GPs take it in turns to 'sign' them, then they go online to the pharmacy in batches. Hence it usually takes several days between me ordering it and the pharmacy to physically dispense them and then bagged up ready for collection. Or they may dispense it the very same day we order something - we just don't know. My husband always gets a text from the pharmacy to tell him he has a filled script ready for collection - I don't get one. Been meaning to get it sorted for a while but stupidly, didn't when I easily could.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Oh, the system we order via, says IT has received the request, however no info from anyone after that so we have no idea where our request has got to.
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
It's www.mysurgerywebsite.co.uk, and I thought that was more or less what it was showing me. But apparently not. I don't have a choice: this is the one the practice uses. Usually it's convenient enough since the pharmacy I've nominated sends me a text when it's ready to collect. I'll just make the request with enough time that I can chase it up if it doesn't appear.
mikeyB
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I’ve never used an online service to request a prescription. I always ring up and speak to a human being. Still do. I requested one yesterday. Now, though, as the prescription is automatically delivered to the Lloyd’s pharmacy next door, the queues are enormous, so I simply use the local council’s prescription collection and delivery service during the lockdown, and I will get it tomorrow afternoon.
After all this tedious business is over, I’ll return to family pick ups. I used to do it myself, but now I can no longer walk (even with two crutches) the distance from parking my mobility scooter to the counter of the pharmacy. There is a wheelchair slope (or steps) to the entrance, but I can’t do stairs. I can walk up slopes on two crutches, but I can’t walk down them.
I don’t say that to elicit sympathy, which I do not want, just to explain why I use the newly set up emergency delivery service. There will be one in most areas - usually run by organisations like Rotary, but I suspect you have to be pretty crumbly like me to avail yourselves of them.
After all this tedious business is over, I’ll return to family pick ups. I used to do it myself, but now I can no longer walk (even with two crutches) the distance from parking my mobility scooter to the counter of the pharmacy. There is a wheelchair slope (or steps) to the entrance, but I can’t do stairs. I can walk up slopes on two crutches, but I can’t walk down them.
I don’t say that to elicit sympathy, which I do not want, just to explain why I use the newly set up emergency delivery service. There will be one in most areas - usually run by organisations like Rotary, but I suspect you have to be pretty crumbly like me to avail yourselves of them.
grovesy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Not heard of that one before.
I am suprised your surgery let you ring and request mine has not done phone requests for a number of years.
Ditto
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Our chemist is incompetent anyways even before C19. I'm a week behind with all my meds and Mums. We started out collecting them on a Monday and now we're on a Friday so that's all those days we've done without over time. Last week Mum had two nights without sleep as they never delivered. I'm waiting for a delivery this morning and feel very stressed. I am all geared up to go round and give them what for if the fella doesn't turn up. I hope you get sorted.
Grannylorraine
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I had the totally opposite, I ordered what I needed, as I had a couple of spare ventolin inhalers, I decided I didn't need another one so left it off, plus as I had just purchased test strips for my meter directly, I decided I would leave the box of test strips off as well. Hubby went to pick up the prescription while doing our shop, we use Tesco in store pharmacy, when he came home the two,things I hadn't ordered were in the bag, and my hubby had a prescription in his name as well for both his inhalers and his blood pressure pills which he hasn't even ordered, but was actually going to order that day so he could pick them it up next week on his shopping day.
Sorry to hear that people's prescriptions are going wrong and being deleted from the systems.
I do have to say my docs are very good, because even before this crisis they did telephone triage appointments, obviously they are relying on some degree of honesty from the patients.
Sorry to hear that people's prescriptions are going wrong and being deleted from the systems.
I do have to say my docs are very good, because even before this crisis they did telephone triage appointments, obviously they are relying on some degree of honesty from the patients.
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Good experience here. Order online through Patient Access, prescription goes straight to village pharmacy and I pick it up the day after. Started this about a year ago and nothing changed with the restrictions. Advantage of the local independent pharmacy is that it's always the same staff and pharmacist, they know you, and your bag of stuff appears as if by magic, they don't even have to ask your name.
MikeyB, I was a bit like you when it came to online ordering and preferred to call into the surgery to get scripts which I took to the chemist. That was partially because I got really annoyed when the co-op pharmacy where I sometimes went with the prescription signed me up to have prescriptions sent directly to them without bothering to ask me and I had to sort out the ****-up. When I shut my shop and it became less convenient to do things manually I fully embraced the electronic system which, so far, has functioned flawlessly. I think having the independent pharmacist in the village is a great help.
MikeyB, I was a bit like you when it came to online ordering and preferred to call into the surgery to get scripts which I took to the chemist. That was partially because I got really annoyed when the co-op pharmacy where I sometimes went with the prescription signed me up to have prescriptions sent directly to them without bothering to ask me and I had to sort out the ****-up. When I shut my shop and it became less convenient to do things manually I fully embraced the electronic system which, so far, has functioned flawlessly. I think having the independent pharmacist in the village is a great help.
grovesy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I find that strange that they signed you up without your consent. I number of years ago we had to fill in consent forms to give permission for our Pharmacy to pick up our paper prescriptions from our Surgery.
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I found it strange as well, its why I kicked off about it and have not visited the pharmacy since.
It was at the time that the system of electronic transfer was being introduced and my suspicion is that the pharmacy used some glitch in the system to do what they did. Would not be surprised to find that the staff in the pharmacy was "incentivised" in the rush to get sign ups and were happy to cut corners to look good to their bosses.
It was at the time that the system of electronic transfer was being introduced and my suspicion is that the pharmacy used some glitch in the system to do what they did. Would not be surprised to find that the staff in the pharmacy was "incentivised" in the rush to get sign ups and were happy to cut corners to look good to their bosses.
Our surgery uses System Online which works well. Any request normally gets signed-off within a few hours and goes to the pharmacy within a day. Going online is much better than phone requests. It avoids wasting surgery receptionist's time and cost and provides a written track.
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