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Pharmacy niggle

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I went in to the surgery yesterday to book some blood tests for my review and handed my prescription in to the pharmacy next door. I said I wouldn't wait because I had to go back this morning for the tests. Silly me! I still ended up waiting for 20 minutes only for them to tell me that some items were missing and they were expected in the delivery later today. I was told that there were just lancets and some of the test strips missing. I said that I would take what they had - just got back and I am missing 3 boxes of strips, a box of needles, lancets and one of my other medications, grrr!!!! What's more, I had to ask the pharmacist (not the regular one) for a receipt for the missing items so I had proof that I was owed them (normal practice, I thought). He scribbled one out, but obviously doesn't have the pills and needles on it!

Pain in the neck! 😡
 
I must admit, I always check when deliveries are expected at pharmacy and don't go back until they've had the chance to read prescription, order any items they don't have and get the items into shop.

My local pharmacist used to be a running woman, and is now a younger man with type 1 diabetes, so both have been very good to me - I think they like the slightly unusual situation of a T1D person who does mountain marathons etc, and I often passed the woman runner pharmacist when both of us were walking / running / cycling near the shop.
 
Wow that is bad Alan.
 
I always check what they give me before I leave the pharmacy, ever since they gave me the wrong strips that time. One time they hadn't got my Byetta pen, there was one in another store so they gave me a script and I toddled off there to get it.

They're quite good on the whole but I do just check to be sure I have everything as sometimes Dr Idiot forgets a bit as well.

Have you called them to list the missing items?
 
Oh yes, and since I now do my prescription requests online I always phone ahead to see whether a: they have received it, and b: they have all the fixings. No point in trawling all the way down there if they don't have all I need.
 
I just thought it would be convenient since I was in for the tests anyway. I'm going back this afternoon since they should have had the delivery by then. It's not very far, it's just that even if they are supposed to have it ready for you, you still end up waiting just as long as if you'd just handed it in, so it's just delaying the tedium really. Things had improved under the regular pharmacist, hope she hasn't gone for good.

Another niggle (not their fault) is that the surgery prescribed urine ketone sticks instead of blood ones. Mind you, I only ordered them because the box I have expires this month - I have never needed to use them (what's the betting...!)
 
Have to say though that if Boots haven't got all my items when I go to collect they do offer to deliver. (14 mile round trip)
 
Pumper_Sue said:
Have to say though that if Boots haven't got all my items when I go to collect they do offer to deliver. (14 mile round trip)
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I was half expecting them to have some things missing as it is quite a big order and a small pharmacy, but I didn't expect to get home and find things missing that I expected to be there. I think they do deliver but I have no confidence in them. I did sign up for their repeat prescription service a couple of years ago, where I hand the repeat to them, they get it signed off, then I return in 3 days to collect - since they know beforehand what I need, they can ensure they have it in, right? They failed miserably on three occasions so I gave up on that idea. :(
 
Northerner said:
I went in to the surgery yesterday to book some blood tests for my review and handed my prescription in to the pharmacy next door. I said I wouldn't wait because I had to go back this morning for the tests. Silly me! I still ended up waiting for 20 minutes only for them to tell me that some items were missing and they were expected in the delivery later today. I was told that there were just lancets and some of the test strips missing. I said that I would take what they had - just got back and I am missing 3 boxes of strips, a box of needles, lancets and one of my other medications, grrr!!!! What's more, I had to ask the pharmacist (not the regular one) for a receipt for the missing items so I had proof that I was owed them (normal practice, I thought). He scribbled one out, but obviously doesn't have the pills and needles on it!

Pain in the neck! 😡
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Wouldn't be the CO-OP by any chance🙄
 
Northerner said:
Boots :( Trouble is, it's the only pharmacy close to where I live and attached to the surgery so there's not a lot of point going anywhere else.
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Right, thought it might have been the co-op. They are no better, put prescription in 2 days before collecting and still wait up to 30mins for them to make it up, like you 9 times out of 10 there's items missing😡
 
If it's not insulin (or anything that needs refridgeration), nor an item you need very urgently nor a controlled drug, you can ask them to post it to you. Or ask them to phone you when it's ready to save you a wasted journey.
 
Copepod said:
If it's not insulin (or anything that needs refridgeration), nor an item you need very urgently nor a controlled drug, you can ask them to post it to you. Or ask them to phone you when it's ready to save you a wasted journey.
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The CO-OP do deliver as I'm sure Boots do in Northerners case, the only trouble is you have to be in to sign or they take it back to the pharmacy.
 
Northerner said:
Boots :( Trouble is, it's the only pharmacy close to where I live and attached to the surgery so there's not a lot of point going anywhere else.
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Would a chat to your doctor about the pharmacy do any good? I know doctors and pharmacies are normally independent of each other, but this one being so close to te doctor, most of his patients will use it out of convinience.

Luckily we have 5 pharmacies within quite a small area so it is no problem to get from one tot he other if we need to.
 
Caroline said:
Would a chat to your doctor about the pharmacy do any good? I know doctors and pharmacies are normally independent of each other, but this one being so close to te doctor, most of his patients will use it out of convinience.

Luckily we have 5 pharmacies within quite a small area so it is no problem to get from one tot he other if we need to.
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No, I'm sure it would do no good at all as they've always been like this. I do understand that they have an awful lot to deal with and that they can't possibly have everything in stock, it's that they don't seem to bother doing anything until you turn up and wait for it - every time that I've said I'll return later I've had to wait just as long as people that have just walked in. That's what eventually stopped me from using their repeat service - I went in for it after 3 days and 5 people who just walked in and handed over their prescriptions got theirs filled before mine, which should have already been prepared and waiting for me. After all that waiting, there were still items missing.

Just been back to collect today's missing items and whilst I was there there still managed to deal with a man who walked in after me (although he had items missing too), plus they were having a laugh about how someone had phoned up because they had been given 12 boxes instead of 6 of something (they also joked that if he returned them they couldn't reuse them). I can see that they get extremely busy, and they need a little light relief to get through the day, but joking about customers and mistakes in front of other customers is not very professional. I'm sure if the regular pharmacist comes back things will get better, she seemed to be finally getting to grips with things.
 
I'd bloomingwell complain to Boots' head office at Nottingham.

Get the CEO's name and write to him!
 
trophywench said:
I'd bloomingwell complain to Boots' head office at Nottingham.

Get the CEO's name and write to him!
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I've used the tactic of finding the names of the board of directors and sending an individual letter to each one before now 🙂 (not related to diabetes)

We also have a few within walking distance, although I prefer to use the little local pharmacy (Waldmans) rather then using any of the Boots, Tesco's or Sainsbury's pharmacy's (OK some of those are cycling distance rather then walking).

Sainsbury's is in theory the most convenient for me.
 
Yup ive learnt that since a screw up with my Victoza pen and a box of lancets instead of strips one time that I always open up the bag and check whats what now.I hope you get all the missing items soon.Im really quite annoyed that im attacthed to my chemist because of travel if i went anywhere else it would be miles away.,
If you remember all the trouble i had northey i wrote to them then 5 weeks later got a big apology and thirty quid boots vouchers
 
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