Boots staff under pressure to milk the NHS for cash, says pharmacists' union

[Northerner]

Boots has been accused of boosting its profits by forcing staff to abuse an NHSscheme intended to help sick patients.

Managers at Britain’s biggest pharmacy chain were found to be directing their chemists to provide medicine-use reviews (MUR) to customers who didn’t need them, in order to claim public money from the NHS.
The NHS pays £28 for each MUR, which is carried out by a pharmacist and intended to give patients professional advice on health, diet and how best to manage their medicines.

However, an investigation by the Guardian has found evidence that Boots managers are directing staff to carry out MURs on each other and on patients who don’t need them or can’t use them.

http://www.theguardian.com/business...essure-to-milk-the-nhs-says-pharmacists-union

 

[Matt Cycle]

I suspect all pharmacies are up to this trick. I use Lloyds and have had two of these in the last 9 years. I thought they must get paid to do them but didn't realise it was £28 or what they were called. The most recent one was last week and lasted about 2 minutes. "Are you managing okay with your medicines and diabetes?", "Yes", "Is it well controlled?", "Yes" - end of review. Please sign the form so we can claim £28 off the NHS. As the article states they are a waste of time and money and the pharmacies are using them as a money making scheme. I don't blame the pharmacists themselves just those running the businesses.

 

[KookyCat]

I've never hear of a MUR and if I was offered anything akin to a review I'd say no on the basis that frankly I get shoved into enough useless reviews already. That said my Uncle used Boots and they were absolutely brilliant helping him get the medicines right, utterly wonderful and quite literally a life saver at least once since one of the medicines for his cancer treatment would have had a fatal interaction with another drug prescribed for another ailment. GP practices are also businesses and exploit NHS funding in lots of way (see the aforementioned useless reviews). Businesses exist to make money. Which is why the NHS shouldn't be a business.

 

[Matt Cycle]

I didn't know what they were called. The pharmacist when handing me my stuff said "Can I have a word?", I thought "Eh up, what's all this about". Anyway, I had to go to the consultation room at the back - the one where the smackheads go when they come in for their methadone. Then had this 'review' and that was it. I wasn't really told what it was and didn't feel like I had much choice from her initial question. As I said that's only the second one in about 9 years.

 

[Robin]

I just had one about a month ago. The previous one was a few months after diagnosis, so once every 8 years, then. That time I had a useful and interesting discussion about Statins with the then pharmacist who'd had terrible side effects from them. This time it was more of a box tick, the pharmacist cheerfully admitted I knew more about my insulins than he did! (Having said that, he was incredibly helpful getting me the right insulin pen last year when the surgery had a total fail, and I'm committed to trying to ensure the survival of our small local pharmacy)
I can see the use of them when people are on multiple prescriptions, and there can be concerns about interaction, especially with extra supplements people might be taking ( this was covered in my review) or have just forgotten how they should be taking or storing their medication. ( You may think the annual medication review with the GP should cover this, but it can be a stressful appointment, with a lot to take in, and not everyone thinks to take pen and paper with them, or wants to admit to their Gp that they use herbal remedies or suchlike.

 

[KookyCat]

Annual medicine review with a GP, what is this thing of which you speak? Oh no, "diabetic"nurse 15 minutes of "no I won't take statins" and "no I don't accept that 119/72 is high blood pressure" followed by "no you won't be reducing my prescription to 100 test strips a month" and finally and with feeling "no I won't take the Lego brick meter you're thrusting at me that's like a brick and would require me to carry it on a leg brace", and a "oh I'm fine by the way" as I'm shoved out of the door because they're not interested in anything else. I jest (very slightly) but that kind of "service" is not unusual which is why I still think pharmacist reviews can be useful. I wouldn't have one because I'm not taking complex medicines but they are useful. I just think the criteria for their use should be more rigid to prevent them becoming targets, so instead of paying per appointment, why don't they make it a condition of NHS dispensing and provide payment for issues resolved?

 

[Northerner]

I had a pharmacy review about 6 months after diagnosis which was very useful as I was on 11 different meds, plus insulin (which I've never considered a 'medication'). Nothing really came out of it, other than some confidence that I understood why I was taking each medication, and what to watch out for. It's a Boots pharmacy, but I've never been aware of any pressure to have a review when I have been in there - they are usually rushed off their feet anyway!

 

[Ljc]

shame on Boots.
I didn't realise the NHS paid the pharmacies that much per person
I can see the point of them, esp if a person is taking several meds.
Speaking personally I have quite a few appointments and don't wish to add to them.
At our pharmacy they have a notice up about MURs and leave it up to to us whether or not to avail ourselves of this service.

 

[Robin]

Annual medicine review with a GP, what is this thing of which you speak?

Well it is a bit of a farce. Enter GPs room. Bum brushes chair. GP says, is it your review you've come about? Sorry to drag you in, but we have to clap eyes on you once a year, ( presses button on computer) that's OK I've renewed it for another year. Bye....( Leave room with GP thinking, oh good, I can have a cup of tea in the remaining 9 mins 30 secs of the appointment slot)

 

[grovesy]

I had a Pharmacist review about 15 months ago but it was at my GP surgery and it lasted about 20 mins and the appointment was made for that time.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

When the Boots pharmacist asked me to have a review I just said no thanks as you can't even get my prescription correct I see no point in it.

 

[Copepod]

I've never been offered a medication review at a pharmacy. However, I have a couple of friends who are pharmacists, and it was one, the mother of a friend of mine, from Tasmania, who sent me an article about basal bolus regime, after her daughter and I had been on holiday together, only months after diagnosis and being put on bimodal insulin (in 1996). Daughter must have told her about the inflexibility / inappropriateness to my lifestyle of fixing maltimes and amounts for next 12 hours, because the article (photocopy from an Australian pharmacy journal) arrived by post about a week later. I met another pharmacist friend a few years later, when we were both Territorial Army officers in a medical unit. She has worked for several high street pharmacies, plus hospital pharmacy and is now locuming, so she can take more time off for climbing, skiing, horse riding, adventure racing, meeting me at adventure races, rare breeds farm or rock pools etc. She always lets me know about new pharmacy developments, although internet means it's easier for me to find information online thses days.
So, not surprisingly, I have great respect for pharmacists and their skills and knowledge.

 

[Sally71]

I have an asthma check once a year with practice nurse, so I suppose that qualifies as my review, I'm not on any other medication. Daughter obviously has hospital check ups every 3 months, and a letter is then sent to the GP to keep them up to date so they don't call her in for any other reviews. On her repeat prescription it says how many issues left for each item, when they get down to 0 they just get reset to 12 automatically it seems (one even went to -1 once and nobody complained!).
Hubby is on tablets for a long term condition, not life threatening and not likely to ever change so he never gets reviewed either (and I collect his prescriptions for him). Chemist has never even suggested a review for any of us, and I'd probably turn it down if they did.

 

[Annette]

Our pharmacy is part of the doctors surgery (we class as a rural practice, so they're allowed to run it themselves). My repeat prescription has 'how many issues left before review' on it. It automatically resets itself when it gets to 0 😉 OH also has repeat prescription with the 'how many left' numbers - he gets reminders when they get to 0 to go in and have a nurse review for his asthma (even though the majority of his are for other things), he goes in (eventually, after several reminders from the pharmacist, and from her to me to get him to do it), his numbers are all set back to 12.
Point is, as our pharmacy is not a chain/independent, there is no reason for anyone to be doing it on cost grounds (ie, they dont make money from the NHS as they are the NHS), but they still 'do it' (ok, not for me, thats cos my notes say I am seen regularly for my diabetes and although most of my stuff is non diabetes based, being seen regularly obviously counts), so my feeling is its an NHS directive that the beancounters have jumped on as a way to screw money out of the NHS, and if the sensible pharmacists dont see a reason, they wont do it.

 

[Ralph-YK]

I don't know anything about medicine reviews. Either with GP or pharmacy. I've been several high blood pressure tables for years before I was diagnoses diabetic.