medical delivery company sciences

[Bagpuss2021]

Hi lovely people. Just wanted to get everyone's take on the medication delivery company sciences. I have been waiting since 15th March for a delivery and now I find out that sciences have lost the script, and my consultant will not do another script and has lodged an investigation into this with the company. I now have to lodge my own complaint and some how get the medication I need. I just wonder if anyone else has had a bad experience with sciences.

[Hidden]

Lots and lots of people, myself included, and if you put Sciensus into the search box, you’ll find quite a few posts. They’ve been providing my daughter’s respiratory meds for the last 3 years (were originally called Healthcare at Home until this time last year) and were also delivering my imraldi from September last year until this month where I’ve switched to etanercept which is thankfully coming from a different company. I cheered when I found out. We’d had horrendous problems for the first 6 months with HaH but then it mostly settled, only for there to be really major, even more horrendous problems with every single order/delivery for both of us since last May.

My advice would be to log every phone call or contact you have with the company, including times, dates, who you spoke to, and what was said. Keep track of when deliveries were meant to be and if they did go ahead as expected. Put all complaints in writing, and ask them to confirm anything agreed in writing so that you have the paper trail for if/when you need to make a formal complaint. Also make sure the prescribing hospital are aware of any issues: if they don’t know there are problems, they won’t necessarily consider switching providers.

[Fruitandnutcase]

I wouldn’t do it. I use a very small local Boots that is attached to our (former) GP surgery. We all know each other, I can go in or phone and they know who they are talking to. They keep my prescription and submit it to my new GP every month, on time and send me a text telling me when it’s ready to pick up and my GP can have prescriptions sent to them electronically.They also do a delivery service and docket boxes should you need that. I’m of an age where I don’t pay for prescriptions and there is no way I would swap to an impersonal service like the ones you see advertised on TV.

I have noticed on the neighbourhood website NextDoor that people are having problems with their medicine delivery services not turning up or one man said he was in waiting for the delivery at the specified time and a card had bern put through his door for a failed delivery. He said he had ‘only stepped into the kitchen and left his front door ajar’ but you never really know what actually happened.

[Hidden in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Unfortunately, this isn’t something we get to choose: many biologics and injectable drugs are provided by companies like Sciensus. The hospital have a contract with them to dispense and deliver the medications, and there is no ability for the patient to say they’re not going to use that company.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Hidden]

Now that makes it really difficult. I suppose constantly complaining to your consultant is about the only thing you can do telling them their system isn’t working.I don’t know how poor Bagpuss is coping - 15th March is well over a month. It’s not good enough. Do you have any idea who the managing director of Sciensus is? Could the patients involved write to them or their board or even contact your MP - who I will say I think can be pretty useless but if they get involved most companies don’t want the hassle that causes them. Or even go to your local paper - again that’s not the sort of publicity any company will want especially where such a big contract is concerned.

Although in this day and age it looks as if companies such as that could have been awarded the contract because of high up connections

[strongmouse in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Sounds horrendous! Hope that you can get better service than this. Someone is paying the bill and it needs better accountablity to kick in!

[ABwn]

I use my local independent chemist. They are brilliant. I put in an on- line request to GP, they send it back to chemist who then deliver meds to me. Delivery started during pandemic, they are only down the road, and seem to be quite content to carry on.

[KittyJ in reply to ABwn]

You don’t have the choice with biologics, they are not available at your local pharmacy and are delivered.

[ABwn in reply to KittyJ]

Thanks Kitty. Good luck.

[Runrig01 in reply to ABwn]

Biologics cannot be ordered and processed in the same way as normal meds from GP. The hospital have contracts with these delivery companies for training, ongoing support re meds and delivery. Most need to be delivered in refrigerated vans so they go straight to the fridge, they are also exempt from the usual prescription charge. You are usually provided 2-3 months of injections each time. Most general pharmacists have never even heard of biologics as they don’t deal with them.

[ABwn in reply to Runrig01]

Thank you. That explains a lot. All I can say is good luck to those who are waiting and having problems.

[Runrig01]

I had an issue in that I was due delivery and when I checked the app, it said they were still waiting on the prescription. I contacted the hospital who assured me it had been sent weeks ago. I got back to Sciensus and asked them to look again. She then accepted they had received it but hadn’t processed it. I asked them to prioritise it as they’d had it several weeks. At last they phoned yesterday and are delivering Thursday. The name change hasn’t improved service, in fact I’d say it’s worse now.

[Bagpuss2021 in reply to Runrig01]

exactly the same for me. seems they have done this more than once

[Cirrostratus]

Dear Bagpuss, I hope you get it sorted out soon. You have gone a long time without your meds. The Sciensus admin is a shambles, emails and info on their app do not match…..my new script disappeared even though I managed to get it once……many emails and long long phone calls - I guess a lot of us are in this boat. Good luck 🤞

[Farahal]

Yes I have. I was without medication for 8 weeks because of issues with sciensus.

[Cheylann]

I have recently started taking methotrexate and my first delivery from them was left on my doorstep?? I could not believe my eyes. Now I've used 11 of them and expecting another delivery which hasn't arrived yet so I'm getting worried. Perhaps they will leave it outside again.I'm going to ask that my gp prescribe in future as leaving a box of injections on someone's doorstep is not acceptable.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Cheylann]

That’s not good at all, leaving such meds unattended. I had completely the opposite 3 weeks ago. Was yelled at to pick it up in the Sciensus guy’s presence immediately. Said he’d got to hand it over and watch me take it inside? He made that up. He left it as usual (he’s been several times before) in a large plastic box in the enclosed porch and I can see through a half glass door from my kitchen to porch. I always close and lock the outer porch doors after the delivery. Then pick it up myself without being rushed. If you check on their doorstep contactless policy, the Sciensus website say they’ve to knock and step back and then you’ve to identify yourself, or inform the office if you want your partner, etc to do this for you.

[Bagpuss2021 in reply to Cheylann]

when I was on methotrexate my GP took over prescribing it, but that was only for methotrexate nothing else. seems an on going theme with sciences that they are generally a load of rubbish.

[Leics]

Yeah our hospital used to use HaH they were useless and when they changed their name to sciensus they weren’t any better. I waited six months for sciensus to deliver a new biologic med then they said I wasn’t registered on their system and needed the hospital to send the form again. Luckily for me the hospital changed the company they use as they had so many complaints. I hope you get it sorted soon.

[Knit12]

Unfortunately I think it depends upon the area you live in. I have always had excellent service from them both now and when under the old name

[Blodynhaul]

I've only had one Sciensus delivery when I started on adalimumab and it was fine. I then had a gap as the drug didn't work, then started on a Jak and Alcura are doing the deliveries now. My first one (3-month's worth) was fine. My second one (for some reaons 2-month;s worth) was an issue as despite contacting the Rheumy/rheumy nurse twice to check it had been ordered, I didn't hear anything & with a few days left contacted them again and also Alcura thru their website. I had a call with 2 days of pills left from Alcura & thankfully & surprisingly the pills were delivered 2 days later on my last day of supply! Not sure what will happen this time! Good luck!

[BJC1980]

Sciensus are a disaster. I genuinely do not think I have dealt with a more incompetent company. I always know when I take my last jab that I'll be on the phone to them over and over trying to organise more stock. It's somehow got worse in the last 6 months. The only reason they changed their name was because they had 1000's of 1 star reviews and were rated at 1 star on Trustpilot and Google. To think this firm provides, in many cases, life saving medication to vulnerable people is crazy.

[Bagpuss2021 in reply to BJC1980]

Thanks for your reply. I don't think changing their name has helped. they are terrible what ever name they use.