I have just read the string following Cobsie's post re Zentiva supply problems. It seems we are all caught in the "only allowed to prescribe one months supply" trap.
Here in deepest Shropshire we get Hydroxy (and a host of other meds too) from the dispensary at the GP surgery. We now have to order repeat prescriptions 5 working days in advance and nearly always when we call to collect said prescription (6 days later) there is a queue of about 8 -10 people waiting. When you eventually reach the window it is common to be told "It is not yet ready -- I will make it up ---have a seat" After a long wait the parcel is handed to us.
I should make clear that I am NOT getting at the staff, it is clear that they are working flat out. However, there is clearly an issue either with the resource or the processes being used.
My suggestion was that if the "monthly limit on repeat prescriptions" especially for long term users, was increased to two months then this hassle would be halved and the staff would probably be able to manage the workload much more effectively.
I have suggested this to our GP and he says his hands are tied and he is simply not allowed to prescribe for a greater period than one month.
Our village has expanded by about 500 new houses in the past 5 years but the surgery has not expanded, this could be the root cause.
I wonder whether this is a local problem or a national one. I am wondering whether our MP could be of any help?
It would be good to know what is happening elsewhere?
Many thanks
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I personally get 2 months supply of all my meds except those that have a restriction on them which only allows for limited supplies at anyone time.
If your GP is saying there is nothing he can do then I suggest it is your CCG or whatever yours is called now that is dictating this policy to try and control costs.
You can contact their customer services department and ask them why they have that policy or as you say your MP.
Thanks Star I have tangled with our CCG before when Blackrock introduced a 300mg hydroxy tablet. It took well over 6 months before anyone would believe me (including CCG) . Consequently, I do not have a great deal of faith that they have any incling of "customer service" but I will certainly try. Having said that I do not want my local surgery to get into any trouble as they are clearly trying very hard to cope.
I only get a months supply but worse again my drugs finish at different times so im back and forth. I’ve asked the gp if can get all meds co ordinated but can’t do. My husband gets 2-3 months supply each time 🤷♀️
Why not 1 month at a time for new drugs…3 months supply once the drug has proved a “keeper” ? But TBH I think “getting organised” might be the answer….my practice is a nightmare to pick up repeat prescriptions.
I went to pick up a scrip yesterday…ordered on line 6 days earlier….only 3 people ahead of me…..only to be told it wasn’t ready.As arranged, I went home & checked I had actually sent the request (I’m not perfect & could quite likely not have pressed send!!).I then called the dispensary to confirm my order had been approved on the NHS site by my doctor,
It turned out one item was missing……because they had to order it….I have been on the missing drug for 30+ years. It’s not an unusual drug…..surely there could be a computer programme they could use to alert them when they need to order stock? Or of course they could just notice when a particular drug in the cupboard is running low….& tell the patient there is a delay!
I stood watching one of the girls who fill the prescription bags (these girls seem to come & go) sorting through hundreds of paper prescriptions (to find mine) alphabetically arranged in cardboard boxes! Surely in 2023 there is a more efficient way?
It’s only a 2 mile drive to the surgery……but it takes time out of busy days…& there is a message on their answerphone asking patients not to call asking if their scrip is ready! I now order well ahead…but not too far ahead ….or the NHS site tells you it’s too soon.
My prescriptions get delivered to a pharmacy about a mile from me , it has good parking which helps , and same system, lots of scripts in cardboard boxes! There are times im there every week to collect, its a bit embarrassing as they all know me now.
The system is very outdated but maybe they feel paperwork is safer ??
In fact I’m about to transfer my scrip from the GP pharmacy to a pharmacy who deliver& seem very accommodating.
When I had Covid last Christmas they delivered drugs requested by phone by Covid Care & it is five miles away & the driver delivering gave me a phone number if I needed anything else.
I suppose it’s a thankless job…just reading the scrip & putting it in a bag for the one pharmacist to check ..so I suppose no incentive to make suggestions if they take the last box of X out of the cupboard?
I’m in Scotland and used to get a three month supply but since the pandemic it’s been reduced to one month. This has caused chaos at the pharmacies as everyone now needs a new prescription every month!
I don't take zentiva but have exactly this issue with other meds. I take quite a few different ones and some can be dispensed via the pharmacy whereby the GP sends a 3 month batch prescription to the pharmacy and I get these once a month from the pharmacy - always easy to do, and the others I have to go through the tortuous process via the GP. With new building here our GP has had to formally close its books to any new patients. While I was waiting the receptionist had to turn away a Canadian family and a South African family who wanted to register. With over 1 million net immigration into the country in 2022 the GPs simply can't cope and things are only going to get worse.
It isn't really anything to do with immigration. Net migration out of the country tends to balance that coming in, except in 2022, but even then, the numbers are vanishingly small compared to the overall population (extracting British returns, it's about 500,000 extra people...but bear in mind 2022 was a high year because of Ukraine etc.).
It's about cutbacks and bureaucracy (or rationing, perhaps). And the government hasn't shown any willingness to make life easier for people with chronic conditions, sadly, hence no impetus to change things nationally. Some CCG's do permit three or even six month prescriptions though.
I get my prescription every 2 months in Tyne & Wear so come out with a large bag full which I open immediately just to check the brand of hydroxy. With the current problem, every week I am either in the pharmacy or phoning pharmacies to enquire about supply. From ordering online I leave it a week before trying to collect as there is always a bit of a lag. The local pharmacy staff are always super busy and the Well one was the same. I would have thought issuing scripts every 2 months for long standing health issues saved time for meds that aren’t restricted, so who dictates policy to your Gp? Maybe your MP might know but unlikely to change your Gp’s stance.
Thanks Cobsie It is so good to know that other parts of the Uk are happy to issue 2 months supply. I will certainly use this info to argue the case here. Many thanks.
The problems everywhere are multi fold. Brexit, Covid and Ukraine have all impacted on supply issues for pharmacists. There is a shortage of people able or willing to work/ fill posts - let alone fill new posts/ expand in pharmacies, GP practices, social services, hospitals etc, lack of funds to maintain/ expand the actual buildings and facilities and a lack of GPs -especially those who want to be GP partners - and not enough newly qualified GPs so existing ones are stretched to capacity and beyond in their workloads.
Add in immigration, asylum seeker assessment delays, emigration of doctors and other key NHS staff and the development of new housing schemes in green belt, suburban and rural areas and this is why there aren’t enough GPs, pharmacists, pharmacies or schools, teachers, hospital staff etc to begin to cater for the demand.
In my case I order my repeats online from rural Gp practice with near retirement age overworked (but good) GPs and collect from tiny village pharmacy when they text me to say it’s ready.
Often there’s a long queue trailing up the street and the pharmacy premises isn’t fit for purpose so looks chaotic with boxes piled high. The pharmacist is often pacing on the phone desperately trying to get hold of a patient’s required medication from a supplier and I get different amounts of each of my medications so am always in and out and put in orders at least two weeks ahead. Often I’m told there are bits missing from my order due to supply issues - especially the medications I need in liquid form.
We too have lots of new housing schemes suddenly in my rural area and I’m absolutely sure demand massively outstrips supply on all fronts. Developers get consent to build without any proper consultation about local infrastructure with schools, gp surgeries, public transport, postal and shops in the area regarding availability or access to provision. This is one of the key problems you’re facing I suspect and I don’t suppose there’s a lot can be done about it now, very worryingly.
I agree with your observations. I live in a medium sized, low rise town close to the M25. Plans are to increase the borough population by 50% within 5 years by means of tower blocks - all in the town centre. Some have already been built. No new infrastructure to accompany it. like most places we have too much traffic already and inadequate services for the present residents. No one wants this except the developers.
Well I know it’s really important that we get much more affordable/ social housing acrosd the UK of course. So my objections are relating to government not being able or willing to match this with increasing the existing infrastructure in the form of investing in good public services or setting good sustainable building standards for all new builds. Health, wellbeing and sustainability v social deprivation and higher mortality all go hand in hand. Such hard times right across the U.K it seems - no area is exempt where the NHS and other public services are concerned.
I couldn't agree more - dont build unless you can support the population growth with the services they need, and not make things worse than they are. 2 of my adult children are in need of affordable housing, both are in their 30's. My daughter and her partner are NHS staff who can at present only rent in London. It is so hard to get a home to they can afford!
Same here with my young adult children in Scotland and London - same issues matched by pay as wages reflect cost of living so it’s all relative. And if they’ve moved around as young people often have to - then no nhs dentistry and unable to register with local GPs in new areas. I know the OP was asking if it’s just a local issue to them but it’s not - it’s patchy everywhere. I’m so lucky I registered with my lovely GP practice when I relocated a couple of years ago. But I know someone local with similarly rare overlap as me, who tried but was told they are now closed to new registrations due to massive new scheme built on a green field site with a quite a transient younger population, air force/ services living alongside an older local demographic. One GP partner took early retirement last year and the other two and a full time (retired partner) locum are all my age or older and their attempt to recruit younger GPs doesn’t seem to be working. Big worry.
Hi I live in Denbighshire and we have the same issue you can never just walk in and be handed your prescription and even when your text you go there only to find it’s nit ready or it’s not even in and mostly get some of your meds then with iou slips !
Hi LL Sorry to here that you also have similar problems in lovely Denbighshire. Oddly enough it is somehow reassuring that it is not just us. Thanks for your reply.
I have same issues as you and when you get to the front of the queue you get told we don’t have 1 of your items and you have to wait another 2 days because that item has totally run out. I don’t get the fact that some items have 30 days and some have 28 days that’s confusing as well. We are in Suffolk and they say it’s always been like that but pre pandemic I used to get 3 months ata time. It gets so frustrating.
I'm in Scotland. My repeat prescriptions come automatically from local pharmacy. It used to be every 3 months, now its monthly which is ok. They will make up the box early if I'm going away. C
Unfortunately that isn’t likely to continue…..I read an article the other day saying unless NHS Scotland & Wales start to charge for prescriptions & whatever other free benefits they now offer, there will be delays getting drugs from the suppliers…..to pharmacies, let alone out to patients.It’s now unrealistic to expect drugs like paracetamol on free prescription when you can buy them for 25 pence in supermarkets.
The whole NHS …not just prescriptions needs some realistic politicians who will bite the bullet, accept the populations will have to pay more …..& get on with it & tell us how much!
What you say lacks reason. NHS Scotland still pays for the medication. These are not free benefits but paid for by the taxpayer. I was simply saying what happens here - we have managed not to have strikes (so far) in the NHS and that has helped. Free at the point of use/ delivery is a fundamental principle of the NHS isnt it and I'd fight hard to keep it.
But the NHS was conceived when life expectancy was around 70,& all the highly efficient expensive treatments were ever thought of.
All NHS countries decide how their allocation of money is spent & some decided not to charge patients for prescriptions ……in England only those under 18 over 60 & those with specific health conditions get free scrips.
But no country can continue using money to provide all the new treatments available under the present system ….because there is not enough money in the tax payers pot.
I think everyone agrees the only way is a completely new system…..which will likely include patient contribution, but nobody will make the decision as to what that system should be. In the meantime things trudge along….staff shortages get worse, Private Medical Insurance Companies are pocketing fortunes, & waiting lists are getting longer & longer.
I doubt I shall see the new system in my lifetime….just hope I continue to trudge along without waiting too long for drugs or treatment.
Of course I can’t find the article now…but this is one of the comments on it…..why I can find this but not the article I don’t know.😩
“Iain Kennedy, chair of BMA Scotland, said there were also massive hospital consultant vacancies – with roughly three in every 20 positions unfilled. When you add in more than 6400 nursing and midwifery vacancies and catastrophic vacancies in social care, an emerging picture forms of why the NHS is on its knees.”
Same in England & Wales of course, but we don’t hear much about NI do we?
Yes Iain Kennedy has his own particular well kent axe to grind. My own (too frequent experience) is that we have remarkable stability in our NHS staff. that is a good sign and I hope that means that people working in the NHS are reasonably well supported.
here in Leicestershire, I can only get 4 weekly supplies, yet in Wiltshire I was getting 8 weekly supplies and my methotrexate, which has to come from my rheumy consultant, as leicestershire will not support me with it, she gives my 3 months supplies!
Many thanks Poshcards It seems we have a postcode lottery and sadly we appear to be given the worst option available. Thanks again -- very useful to know.
Perhaps ask them to put in writing if the Drs will not do every 2 months for you. It might also be worth trying a different local independent pharmacy if you have one. Plus a chat to the pharmacy technician at the local pharmacy, as they would know if some of the prescription meds are under any specific restrictions.
I can always get 2 months supply of medications, including Hydroxychloroquine. (Wolverhampton, W. Midlands area, so I do not think Shropshire should be that different). I do have to have my regular prescription reviews with GP, but never have any problems. I find putting in online to GP, getting it then sent electronically to my local pharmacy, and allowing a week between the request to GP and collection from local pharmacy works well. Hope they will sort it out for you
Thanks Fabwheelie The nearest pharmacy is 10 miles away so not quite so easy to take that route. However, it is really good to know that people in Wolverhampton can have 2 months supply and just down the road it is a max of one month (4 weeks). What a disjointed system it is. Makes me wonder whether it is misleading to say it is a "National" health system. Thanks for your reply -- much appreciated.
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