I'm interested to know whether anyone else has nightmares getting their repeat prescriptions and how they go about it. Below is a rough transcript of a converstaion I had with my local pharmacy last week when collecting my repeat.
PHarmacist: we have everything here for you encept the hypertonic saline (HS) which is being ordered specially.
Me: Thanks, when will it be in?
PH: not sure. anywhere between 3-10 days
Me: Right, can you ring me when its in?
PH: of course, but we can't leave a message due to patient confidentiality.
Me: OK, but I work full time so won't be able to answer
PH: right well how about you ring every day
(does anyone have the time to do this??)
Me: (battling to stay polite) Fine. will you be able to order some in for me for next month??
PH: oh no. because its a 'special order' we need the prescription first.
Me: Right, and it'll take 3-10 days then too.
PH: Yes
Me: But i'll run out, even if I put the prescription in as early as possible if its going to take up to another 14 days from the date I order it from my (very good) GP.
PH: I suppose you will.
ME: well what do you suggest I do?
PH: to be honest it would probably be easier if you could get it from the hospital. It is very expensive to order.
ME: so is an ITU bed!
PH: yes but you see its a special delivery cost rather than the actual cost of the medicine. maybe your hospital have other patients on it and it could arrive together?
At this point I walked off in a huff.
I can't help feeling that they are making things as difficult as possible to try and avoid paying the delivery cost. I plan to see if my GP can give me a prescription for a couple of months at a time to try and prevent this pantomine happening on a monthly basis.
Personally I don't think you are being unreasonable - it's not like you want to HAVE to have this prescription...... If it's a big chain, couldn't you contact their head office?? Otherwise - a couple of prescriptions at a time sounds a good idea.
I'd have probably got more than a bit huffy - but I'm gradually (or maybe not so gradually!!) turning into a right grumpy old'ish woman.......
Liz
Sounds a bit rubbish. It's their responsibility to get the drugs in for you in a timely fashion, if they want your custom - is there another pharmacy you could threaten to go to, because if you take your script elsewhere they would lose all the dispensing fees on all your other drugs. That might concentrate their minds a little...
Also, if you give them a phone number and tell them it's OK to leave a message on there, there is no reason why they should *not* leave a message. This is something I encounter on a near daily basis with working patients who want to know their results - they can leave us a number to call back and leave a message. I wouldn't leave a message on any answerphone unless the patient had said this was OK due to confidentiality, but as you've asked them to do so, there is no issue with this.
I hvae had this problem before, so i changed phamacy and have not had a problem since, although my consultant did say if i had it again, she would write a letter telling them to order it in a month in advance.
Daughter (30) has back that goes into spasm and apres A&E visit + GP follow up, had prescription for co-codamol and diclofenac, to put in and have dispensed. Said she'd collect a part-prescription for her dad's that was waiting to be collected. They hadn't enough cholesterol tablets for his prescription when he'd gone in the day before.
Chemist started asking twenty questions about both prescriptions. Daughter suggested they either phone her dad or phone the surgery re prescriptions. They refused. At which point she called her dad on his mobile and he went off to do battle. Said she was made to feel so bad and almost a criminal by the pharmacist.
PS We now use another chemist.
i had similar problems so i changed.
now as i have few things thye dont normally stock the pharmacist knows my script comes on the 1st mondy of the month he orders the meds in rady for me and if for any reason he didnt have them he textx me and then sorts out a time he can deliver.
if my gp prescribes me anything over the phone he rings the pharmacy and they will get the meds to me asap.
so it can b done.
gooduck with getting it sorted
Have you tried hard to find medicines . com (all one word no spaces!)
Saw a letter in one of the Sunday papers and it was mentioned in reply to a writer who was unable to obtain an obscure prescription from their local pharmacy.
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