We’d like your views about the value of Community Pha... - NRAS
We’d like your views about the value of Community Pharmacy which is becoming more integrated with primary care. Please tick all that apply:
I don't know about Community Pharmacy - it sounds very useful, but I've never been made aware of it in my area - Dorset BH
where do you get your prescriptions
?
The Doctor sends them to a local Pharmacy, a chain, but has never suggested that they will help with any queries
that is a community pharmacy 😊
I don't know about them,would use if we had.
I don’t use mine they are useless always rushed so can’t spend quality time answering questions,never have the medications . I use a different one not connected to a Gp practice. They are much easier to talk to and never let me down .
I have to agree about my local one. So busy, and I have to explain a lot of medical history which generally goes beyond their knowledge. I've also had problems when picking up meds that are out of stock but they don't have time to let you know before you make the trip. When you're chronically sick, it takes a lot of effort some days to even get there, then to be told you should have gone earlier and they would have told you then that they were out of stock. Never get an apology, but that's how service is these days. Closest pharmacy after that one I'd need a taxi ride.😡
Yep.. Mine used to send a text when meds were ready but no longer do. I called in just now to be told they don't have my inhaler so have had to make the trip to the gp surgery to request a different one . 3rd time in a row! I know supply issues arent their fault but it would have been nice to know. I'd phone them first but they rarely answer.
Same here! They're snappy & in a hurry on the phone already. I was told 'we have over 1,000 patients on our books, we can't be expected to contact all of them.' But maybe not all of them are depending on vital meds they don't have in stock. And the government wants pharmacies to take on more prescribing roles to take the stress off our dwindling no. of GP's leaving the service for the private sector.😡
Its a sad reflection on how the health service is going. Whenever I go in there, there are always several people having problems with getting meds.
I’ve never heard of this
I would not feel reassured
We’re always arguing with our chemist as are most customers, usually about having to wait even though you’ve rung through and on arrival you’re the only customer, definitely not someone I’d like to confide in
My village pharmacy is very good and it would be a great help if they provided more services. I always have flu vaccine at the pharmacy and they do BP checks and never have any problems getting my meds, they are most helpful if you have a problem.
Announced today Lloyds aren’t going to be in Sainsburys much longer. Hopefully it’ll be taken other by another pharmacy.
Do you mean our local pharmacy or are Community Pharmacy something new?
seems to be a new name for your local pharmacy, in the community.
Oh, thanks. I did wonder.
My pharmacist is very helpful when I have a question about a particular medication. They order my prescriptions from the GP and deliver to me. I have full confidence in them. If they carried out blood tests I would be happy as at the moment I have to collect a blood test form from the GP, take it to my local hospital and wait (no appointment system) up to an hour to be seen.
My pharmacist had left an item off my prescription by mistake and just after I got home from picking up the prescription he arrived with said medication. I hadn’t had time to open the bag so didn’t even know there was anything missing. To say that I was surprised is an understatement,
unfortunately going to a local pharmacy when you are immunocompromised is a waste of time in Scotland as they cannot do anything for you. You must go and see a GP or call NHS 24 at the weekend. This has happened to me frequently as my RA meds cause urine infections. I also cannot use them for repeat prescriptions as my meds change frequently. I wouldn’t want to go to them for BP checks as the place is always mobbed and there is no privacy
in England pharmacies have a consultation room, when I worked in one we had to find the space for one. This was a few years ago now.
Unfortunately ours is rarely used for medication questions as not enough Pharmacists, but used mainly for methadone giving!! I wouldn't use a pharmacy other than for repeat prescriptions these days.
I've tried 5 local pharmacy's and all failed me, 3 on my repeat prescriptions and two about when I had itchy and painful little red lumps on my scalp and forehead, ( only went to pharmacies becos no available GP appointments available all week!!!!!) I asked if it was shingles and I was told no I was allergic to something take antihistamines, next morning I went to local hospital minor injuries as it was really quite painful and one big blister right by my eye, saw a Dr and yes it was shingles, and quite bad too. Put on meds and felt much better after about 4 days. He did ask which pharmacies I went to aswell!! So not all are helpful.
Similar experience to you. Painful rash on arm, I thought maybe insect bites. After couple of days went to pharmacy who advised was just a rash and gave me antihistamine cream. Didn't work. Went to GP who confirmed Shingles and panicked because reception full of pregnant women! It was too late for me to get any treatment so just fought off the problem. Before I was diagnosed with RA so not on any meds at that time.
Reading some of the other responses on this subject your very fortunate if you have an excellent pharmacy, more don't have that unfortunately , a lot aren't interested, a friends pharmacy told her he's not paid enough to give advice so there you go. Sad world isn't it?
I am not aware of community pharmacy at all
Have actually had a very good if not excellent service and help from my local pharmacy. When prescribed an antibiotic for a uti and after checking twice that l could use this one with Methotrexate and GP said yes , the pharmacist said absolutely not on going to collect. And even though they the local pharmacist don’t dispense my imraldi, they are more aware of this medication than my GP .
Couldn’t get a flu jab last year before end of October with GP practice but easily able to book into local pharmacies. in September.
Recently had BP checked in Pharmacy after being asked to book one in for my GP practice and nothing available for 2 weeks, pharmacist able to do one that same day and send results to Gp .
If mine did blood tests l would go there for them as well, but l truly do think in the case of uti and confirmation that you have one ( since they could test ) that the pharmacist could prescribe the relevant antibiotic.
I use my local pharmacy all the time and they are invaluable. They order my repeat meds for me and if I could not fetch them would deliver them. They check if any over-the-counter meds suit me and can be taken with my prescription drugs. They also provide a BP check service but I now have my own device (they are very reasonably priced now).
Most of all and best of all they are excellent, friendly people 
I am lucky to have them
just out of interest, how long does your pharmacy require to prepare repeat prescriptions?
Mine requires 10 working days from when the request is approved by the surgery.
There is always at least a 20 minute queue (I just think of all those germs flying around) and it takes at least 3 visits as my meds are seldom ready. They don’t order in the Metoject pens until I attempt to collect them the first time.
I have also been dispensed Edoxaban instead of Etoricoxib three times in 5 visits.
Is it as bad as this elsewhere in the country?
The community pharmacy in my wee village is excellent at recommending solutions for minor ailments or pointing me in the right direction. A very underused service.
would not ask about rheumatology problems as sometimes even gp can’t answer.
My grandfather and my father were community pharmacists. Excellent on medicines, often had to correct the GP for incorrect dose on prescriptions - even for babies! But I wouldn't let either of them near me with a needle!
This made me smile. I had the flu jab from my local pharmacist because I couldn't get an appointment with GP. It was fine!
My community pharmacy only provide non RA prescription items. I cannot get my methotrexate injections from them I wish I could. To be honest if I’ve asked them a question they’re too rushed and don’t have time or can’t be bothered to answer. They seem to be as clueless about rheumatoid arthritis and their treatments as my GP. The pharmacy in my village I will not use as they’ve given my prescription to neighbours which I asked them not to do and that was because they didn’t deliver them when they said they would so I wasn’t in as I was working at that time . When my GP made an error prescribing oramorph the pharmacy insisted it was correct which technically it was but 10x the dose I should have had, it’s a good job I had listened to how much I was supposed to take because eventually the GP rang me in an awful panic because of the mistake. The chemists I use now are very good and deliver my prophylactic antibiotics but they’re in the next village so I couldn’t collect them.
Love my local chemist (community pharmacy if that's the name) always helpful, friendly & excellent when asking for advice, I order my repeat prescriptions via an app & is usually ready within 3 - 5 days, only once they didn't give me the correct amount of prednisolone but, since being diagnosed in 2020 are my go to for any advice. Had a really bad experience with Boots pharmacy last year where they gave me antibiotics instead of sulfasalazine & saw a number of people going back as they'd been given the wrong prescription so will never use them again.
Pharmacists, however well qualified to take on the extra work, may soon become overwhelmed as, we are told, are the GPs. So is it merely shifting the burden? Pharmacists themselves worry about this. Moreover, efficient communication between primary care and consultant is sometimes lacking. To involve a third party in a procedure that may be relevant, even vital, to specialist care may not improve this.
You make some very good points, are pharmacists equipped to take on this extra work? Perhaps the more people communicating with each other could end up being detrimental to the patient i.e. potential communication break down.
Exactly, Rachmaninov2.
I've always used my community pharmacy for years now. It's local easy to get to and very useful to me and my family I will continue to use as long as I live in this area.
I think it would be a bad idea I think Pharmacy are over work and rush off there feet the one near me are always busy I go there for my flu jab my prescriptions monthly they are very busy with prescriptions that come in always .But I can go in with health Question they always make time for you. So why spend more money on Community Pharmacy where you will still have Problems . other Pharmacy have like can’t get hold of certain medication to give to patients.
Sorry but what is meant by Community Pharmacy please?
They mean your local chemist.
Sohmui, I thought that but just wasn't sure.
not heard of this!
Did not know buythat name until I read the comments
My local pharmacy is so overworked that you cannot expect them to help by stopping to talk. When you go to collect your prescription you have to wait in a long line of people (with colds, sniffles, coughs etc) even when they have phoned to say its ready. I visited another in a distant town and she said I needed something but my own GP disagreed.....so whats the point. Norfolk area
camera for go down the throat
have never heard of them.
Never heard of them!
My pharmacy is incredibly busy. It moved into larger premises about four years ago because of the demand and to give people a private consultation room. I don't see how they could safely or efficently do any more without more staff, more room, more funding.
They supply my Imraldi (adalumimab) injections, not mentioned above, and used to supply my methotrexate injections when I was on them.
I don’t think community pharmacists have sufficient experience of immunosuppressant medication used in many rheumatological illnesses nowadays for me to ask them for advice. They have enough to do in advising patients with minor illnesses/ advising customers whether they need to make a GP appointment etc. in addition to checking prescriptions, and advising patients how to take their medications.
Local pharmacy is always extremely busy.I worked in one over Twelve years ago and it was busy then.Since then more and more houses have been built.So more prescriptions,plus repeat ones.Then you have dosette boxes made up for older clients.We had consultation room where methodone was dispensed.Anyone can ask to speak to pharmacist privately for help or advice in this room.If items are out of stock it is not the staff to blame.Sometimes the manufacturer cannot supply the item required due to shortage or other reasons.My pharmacy texts when my prescriptions are ready.I think more work is being passed onto a pharmacist when they are already working flat out.
I use them for my medications and I have requested to speak with them privately and found them very helpful.
My community pharmacy had really long queues during covid. You could not get through on the phone, there were not enough staff, the consultation room is just a cubicle inside that is not really private. They sometimes send people home, even young children as they still may not have the supply of meds available. I felt really sorry for the staff who tried so hard to cope, some of them were in tears and that is still happening.
Unfortunately, this is still a common thing for us
unfortunately I live in an area struggling with retention of pharmacists. Ours, plus other pharmacies in our coastal area are surviving on relief pharmacists. So our local boots run pharmacy, with shop, is often closed or on reduced hours as they can’t open without a pharmacist on site. So when they are open, the over stretched staff are catching up on the backlog of prescriptions. Hardly any time for other services, plus, most weeks we only know that morning what opening hours maybe. I can’t recall the last time they were open on a Saturday. Very frustrating for so many of the community as we are rural and many have to make a deliberate trip only to find it closed. We have a 10 day repeat prescription turn around as normal now. I also have to take my methoject sharps bins back to a different pharmacy as they can’t accept them, although I collect new ones from them. For travel clinic, our nearest one is 1hr away, and then they didn’t have stock so had to make another return appointment.
That's the problem we had, no Manager so they couldn't open. Now we do have one and I know I'm not alone in begging her stay as she goes above and beyond.
I'm lucky in the fact that the chemist is only 5 mins away by car, but if I had to walk even that would take some time and there's a chance that I wouldn't make it even then! We are hoping to move to North Wales soon, been waiting almost a year and living out of boxes. I've done my homework already, checking out where local pharmacy doctors and hospital, dentist etc are so like the Girl Guides I'm going prepped and ready!
If none of the above apply, you can't vote.
but that’s ok, if none apply then you don’t need to vote in this poll 😊
I live in a rural area, therefore would have to make at least a 10-20 mile round trip dependent on pharmacy location. My GP surgery is in my village, so is easier to visit. I do see for those in more populated areas this may be a valuable resource. For information, it would be good if online face-to-face consultations were offered. I can forsee that Pharmacist's would soon be overwhelmed and difficult to consult just as GP's and hospitals are at present.
I generally use my local Tesco store to collect prescriptions and occasionally ask advice. The community pharmacy attached to my surgery is really too small to be of use.
My local pharmacy is always so busy they never seem to have any time . Also I would question the extent of their medical knowledge beyond simple colds and flu.
I was a medical receptionist and our pharmacy was attached to the drs building and often the pharmacist there would com round to me with a prescription and say take this drug cannot be used with whatever other drug was on the script and I would have to go to the doctor who had written it out and get him to look in his book containing the medications and find another drug so I feel that most pharmacists know more about the drugs we take than the drs
None apply to me as I use an independent Pharmacy. The main reasons being the Pharmacy within the same building as my GP Practice, one of 2 Practices in the relatively new building, is always busy & don't deliver. With my h & I our monthly repeat meds fill a large carrier bag each & the Pharmacy we use are more than happy to deliver them Mon - Fri, even if for whatever reason it's only a one med prescription. Usually though if that's the case we will collect it & are more than happy to as we feel it's not cost effective for the Pharmacy to deliver unless they happen to be in our area.
The one I use is really bad but from what friends tell me I'm not sure any of the others are better. I think it might be a nationwide problem.
Sorry that yours is really bad MadBunny, I’m lucky that mine are very good.
Mine was very good up to about a year ago. I think they are now part of a group, which has a distribution hub- it would appear that's partly where the problem lies. Plus there has been a large staff turnover. There's a new pharmacist now and she seems to be getting on top of things.
Hoping that she improves the situation as soon as possible.
Since lockdown GP pharmacies have been useful. I occasionally ask my local pharmacy questions about any symptom not necessarily related to my RA. They used to order repeat prescriptions but we now do this on line through patient access and collect from the pharmacy. My GP rarely sees me face to face but I do get a telephone reply. The GP practice used to do blood tests and BP tests but I now have to go the the hospital for bloods and it is now hard to get access to results. Before lockdown they were posted on patient access but now they say these are on separate IT systems. We are expected to check our own BP and phone the surgery with readings. It seems to me that GP practices are doing everything on line and handing more over to the pharmacy. The pharmacy gives Covid injections. Would they give Benepali injections if asked ? I am about to start Benepali. Expecting a delivery next week and seeing the nurse the week after. Feeling apprehensive of doing this myself but once shown will have to get on with it.
I think you may be asking wrong questions -the community pharmacy attached to my drs is a 45min bus journey away with the walk to and from bus stop only manageable on some days I would be happy to use it if it was nearer, the same brand pharmacy delivers my prescriptions as we no longer have a car, that is a few miles down the road, so now i dont visit them either. The only local pharmacy is a too busy small boots which never had drugs in, always had part order missing and didnt deliver free. So i dont really think community pharmacy is the way to go for blood tests and pressures. (Dr used to always take BP but of course you dont get to see them now and if digital one doesnt work the HCAs dont know how to use old style one.)
Today I managed to get them to put aside an alterntive inhaler for me while I rushed up to the GP to request a prescription. Not the first time its happened. Thankfully they are very understanding. And I'm lucky that I don't have far to go.
I havnt heard of them so no I dont use them.
I also don't know what is meant by the term 'Community Pharmacy'. Can you define this please
pharmacy in the community
I think our pharmacy is far too small for any consultations to take place. They are always extremely busy and with an expanding village I can’t see how that could work.
Firstly ,please can someone confirm whether a community pharmacy is one attached to the GP practice or any local pharmacy fairly nearby ? I am fortunate to have several nearby within a two mile radius and one attached to the GP practice. Secondly I read from replies that some community pharmacists give methotrexate injections others do not. Does anyone have a benepali or similar injections given by their community pharmacist instead of doing them themselves ? Many thanks.
Our community pharmacy have been great in the past but as things have become very busy they are always rushed of there feet and things are out of stock. Currently waiting for a pred prescription from them it's over a week now, luckily l have a small supply. The best thing is that they deliver our prescriptions for free and are always very pleasant despite being so busy
My pharmacy is always very busy but has a lovely dispensing assistant. Frequently out of medications but that seems par for the course. No service on a Saturday or between 13.00 and 14.00. But do flu jabs rather than visit the GP. They are selling out to one of the big chains soon and I dread to think what will happen.
I haven’t filled in this survey as I can’t see the point for me.
My diagnoses are described as complex- rheumatoid athritis - interstitial lng disease - lung fibrosis- autoimmune conditions.
If IM having problems with my chronic illnesses,the GP often advises me to seek advice from nurse helplines at hospital where I’m treated.
The pharmacist locally was brilliant,if he didn’t know he’d say so.prescriptions were always prompt.
Since he moved on it’s awful.they keep sending locus’s,medications isn’t getting ordered ,you keep having to go back to pick odd items up.
The only thing that kept it going was 2 stalwart counter assistants,who went and continue to go well beyond their job description.
When my repeat prescription goes in, I get twitchy about stuff being missing.
Generally I don’t ask advice because my conditions are so complicated.
Recently,during a hospital admission,I had to tell a staff nurse that I couldn’t take My prophylactic antibiotic,A,but I wasalong with Co Amoxiclav.she assured me that I could safely take it,I assured her that I could not.
The discussion only ended when I offered her the phone number of the interstitial lung disease pharmacist at Wythenshawe Hospital.
I don’t know what happened ,butI wasn’t offered the prophylactic again,during my stay.
On reflection,I think for less complicated conditions and if the pressure on pharmacies wasn’t so great,community pharmacies are a positive idea.
I go to Rheumatology for advice about RA. Other issues, I might consult my community pharmacy, but they specialise in medicine which is a broad spectrum, so in depth knowledge of conditions associated with RA is unlikely.
Did not realise exactly what a community pharmacy is. Seems just a high street pharmacy. Most are so short staffed. My medication reviews are handled by GP. Advice mostly from hospital as they are more familiar with my health
I am not aware of a Community Pharmacy near to me, it sounds wonderful to have such Pharmacy close to me..
Unfortunately most pharmacy are to busy to talk to customers and there is no privacy in a shop,plus the fact there knowledge on RA is non existent.
I was recently asked to go to my local Chemist for a BP check. Haven’t been yet. Like my Chemist so not an issue. He has done some of my Covid jabs.
As I have 3 monthly blood monitoring, it would make more sense to me to have the phlebotomist take it whilst I am there (healthcare, occasionally nurse). Training them, if needed, wouldn’t take long I am sure..
Chemists are usually privately owned, so I am suspicious that the money will be going out of the NHS, instead of remaining within it. *Backdoor privatisation.
What does not seem to be understood by the public is the lady in a white coat in any “community pharmacy” is not usually a pharmacist…..so there needs to be some sort of official information put out on the subject. ..or a lot of people may be given incorrect information.
If anyone needs advice they must ask to speak to the pharmacist..I have been given some really doubtful advice that could be harmful from unqualified people on being told the pharmacist is busy.
My GP practice has its own pharmacy…but only 9to5 Mon/Fri…closed weekends…& they only dispense prescription meds from the practice…they don’t even sell cough mixture. …so the chains of pharmacies in Supermarkets etc are really needed. …..whatever they are called. They do a Stirling job every year with Influenza vaccinations.
I have never seen anything even mentioning the title “Community Pharmacies.”
