Needle script down on changed surgery. and SystmOnline.tpp Make custom request field is inadequate.

[Lilly]

Just changed surgery to one a little nearer. While preparing for a pump I am on Lantus basal plus NovoRapid bolus.
On the previous surgery 'systmOnline.tpp' the meds template for

"GlucoRx FinePoint hypodermic insulin needles for pre-filled / reusable pen injectors screw on 5mm/31gauge (GlucoRx Ltd) - 300 needle - use as directed"

But new surgery changed this back to

"GlucoRx FinePoint hypodermic insulin needles for pre-filled / reusable pen injectors screw on 5mm/31gauge (GlucoRx Ltd) - 100 needle - use as directed"

Now the systmOnline.tpp repeats page has a 60chr wide one line text field that allows 500 characters. It won't accept carriage returns and the timeout is so short that you have to prepare your 500 carachers in a separate text file. Instead of carriage returns I use *STOP.* just like in the long gone Telegrams.
When I sent the new surgery a further one line text message

I checked needle use over last 14 days as recorded in LibreView app. - wk endg 29-mar  40used. and wk endg 5-apr used 45 needles.  So on average use is 6.1 per day. *STOP* The current script (100) wil therefore only last 16.4 days, and will need to be re-ordered 10 days before the cannot order date.   *STOP* Additional to meal and snack times I have to inject on alarm notifications which explains the difference from the 4meals+background count. Would you please amend the template accordingly.

(You can scroll the above to read the whole line)
Now this resulted in the needle count template being increased to just 200 which should only last 32 days; - why is it that doctors are not properly trained in maths?
I suppose 200 will do for now but there will need to be another textbox request in not too long.

 

[SB2015]

Where I had issues around prescription changes I found that they were rectified with a phone call to the Practice. I hope that you can get this sorted out.

 

[Lilly]

Where I had issues around prescription changes I found that they were rectified with a phone call to the Practice. I hope that you can get this sorted out.

Well phone calls are fine, but they dont get the whole list done without wasting 2 persons time. MY new practise receptionist gave me an email address just for repeat scripts, but next time different receptionist said they have stopped accepting repeats by email; kind of blind leading the blind. Their website tels me to either order online, or to drop a note in the letterbox - which would guarantee it being impossible to keep track; and go knows why they prefer scrappy notes?

 

[Proud to be erratic]

I suppose 200 will do for now but there will need to be another textbox request in not too long.

I use Patient Access, which also has a 500 character constraint but not too controlling on access time.

I had a similar problem with the cassettes for my Accuchek test meter and I was just gradually running down to a below critical level. I (like yourself suggest) precompiled a request that was inside the 500 characters and asked for a one-off double quantity of cassettes, explaining that my usage was broadly correct as per the script repeat of 4 cassettes, but this quantity was too precise and I was without any reserve and this was becoming downright difficult and in danger of putting me at risk unnecessarily. That worked.

Recently I came to realise that our relatively tiny Surgery, which has no 'own' pharmacy has the support of a sub- contracted pharmacy consulting service - that acts as if it is actually part of the Surgery itself. It is actually several miles away and supports several small GP Surgeries. I arranged a review by phone of all my repeat prescriptions and got the opportunity to bring some reality back to the mindless, unexplained and anonymous alterations that had been going on over the last 6 months or so. Once I knew this pharmacy consult possibility existed, I emailed the Surgery Reception and asked for this review to be set-up. The Pharmacist is not going across my GP's medical control, just finding practical and pragmatic solutions to quantities that don't quite last a month or in huge tubes that expire shortly after being opened and are regularly wasted, etc. So far that has been a great success.

 

[helli]

My surgery has used sysmonline for ordering repeat prescriptions.
In the last year, it has also introduced the same functionality to my NHS app.
I don't know if it is just my surgery or whether all surgeries. It may worth checking as another option.

Alternatively, if I remember correctly, sysymonine has a comment box. In the past, I have used this for tweaks to the listed items (e.g. when they removed something in error). It has been a useful way to communicate to the surgery team.

 

[Lucyr]

I can’t scroll the message to read it but surely you didn’t need to write all that out. Could have just written “please increase needle quantity to 200 per month as I require 6 per day” or whatever

 

[rebrascora]

I use the System Online "custom request" facility all the time, mostly for my partner's medication but occasionally for mine too and in fact I have just used it a few moments ago. I seemed to have plenty of time to think about and type what I needed to relate to them, without being "timed out" and I can't ever remember being "timed out" in several years of using it, so wasn't even aware that could happen..... and sometimes I am a slow thinker and typer 🙄, so I wonder if it is an issue with the computer/phone you are using rather than the system itself.

The only thing I have learned about using it, and this may be specific to my GP practice, is not to tag a custom request onto a normal repeat prescription request, so I order all the straight forward stuff first and send that off then I go back to the request medication page and do the "Custom Request" and so far that has never failed and I find it a really easy and efficient means of communicating my request.

 

[grovesy]

I was told by my surgery's dispensary that making a custom request on the normal request, also wipe out the normal too. I suspect it is the system.

 

[JJay]

I use the System Online "custom request" facility all the time, mostly for my partner's medication but occasionally for mine too and in fact I have just used it a few moments ago. I seemed to have plenty of time to think about and type what I needed to relate to them, without being "timed out" and I can't ever remember being "timed out" in several years of using it, so wasn't even aware that could happen..... and sometimes I am a slow thinker and typer 🙄, so I wonder if it is an issue with the computer/phone you are using rather than the system itself.

The only thing I have learned about using it, and this may be specific to my GP practice, is not to tag a custom request onto a normal repeat prescription request, so I order all the straight forward stuff first and send that off then I go back to the request medication page and do the "Custom Request" and so far that has never failed and I find it a really easy and efficient means of communicating my request.

This is how it works for me, too

 

[DaveB]

I use Systemonline and it works fine. It only times out if I don't key anything or scroll for several minutes. It sounds like your surgery's computer setup for Systemonline needs tweaking. What device are you using? I use my desktop PC which with a mouse etc is very speedy.