Hospital doctors out on strike, GP surgeries seem to be unavailable although I haven’t tried them, I just heard something about them on the radio. Now to cap it all I can’t get the named variety of lisinopril I’ve been getting for about the past 20+ years for blood pressure - it’s often touch and go as to whether they can get it and they can’t get it this month. I also take hydroxychloroquine which I’ve heard people online saying can be difficult too.
On top of all that my local Boots is no longer going to be ordering my repeat prescription like they have done for as long as I can remember - got to do that myself 7-10 days before I run out.
Since when did life get so bleep, bleep difficult?
Right now I think what’s the point? I’m 74. Do I just say ‘stuff it’ and stop taking the meds they can’t get but which agree with me, try a generic version which doesn’t agree with me or just give up altogether and accept death by NHS?
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Keep going as best you can. 💗 It’s up to me to order my meds online via my GP website and they send them to the adjoining pharmacy so not so bad. I have to chase the biologic delivery and my Mtx delivery all the time as they are separate companies so there are a lot of phone calls. I organise my rheumatology and requesting all my blood forms and results. Nothing gets done re blood tests and results unless I request/chase these days and it means you are doing something medical every few days but I’m used to it as it’s been like this since around 2018. My rheumy phone call appointment has been cancelled for May but I had a long FTF meeting with her 2 months ago so that isn’t an issue, but it’s now 6 months since my Immunology one. Reminder email to them this week as I’ve spoken on the phone last month but nothing resulting from that. I just keep ploughing on in bite sized pieces. Keep notes of conversations and consultation and all you’ve done so it’s easier to track back. I hope all gets in a workable routine for you. 🙏🏻💗
😊 Thanks for that. It probably just that it’s all happening at the same time. If the pharmacy can’t get the difficult to get drug tomorrow which he doesn’t think he will then he’s going to give my my script back and I’ll take it with me to Cornwall when we go. I’ve googled and there are three pharmacies in the nearest town and we’re there for a week so fingers crossed. I suppose if they can’t get it I can always try a local doctor and ask for a script for a generic. Everything just seems to be so complicated doesn’t it. I was just saying to my husband that if I find it daunting I wonder how people who are older and more fragile than I am and who are not computer literate or are even housebound manage?
🤞 for a workable routine and I’ll keep a notebook to hand x
I think and hope that those less capable and less tech minded patients get more assistance from their medical teams. I often think too if the medical people know you’re more than capable to be proactive and organise yourself they let you do just that! Your plan sounds good to me and I hope they’ve got what you need. Places like Plymouth will have a decent number of pharmacies that a local resort chemist could order from for you. Hope you have a fab time. Not been to my fave Cornwall places since 2019. Hopefully next year! I love The Lizard and its numerous National Trust gardens and also St Agnes but have been all over Cornwall since 1982. x
would it not be possible to phone the pharmacies in the area you are going to and establish if they have the named drug that you want. It might save sometime and be less stressful than waiting until you get to your destination and driving to the pharmacies or trying get an appointment with another doctor for another prescription. Have a good holiday , a breath of fresh air in Cornwall will be will be a dose of good medicine 😊
Thanks for your reply. That’s what I’ve decided to do - if my local place doesn’t get them in today and I got the impression from the pharmacist yesterday that he won’t. They normally seem more confident, so once I know for sure I’ll do that. There’s a pharmacy in the village we’re stopping at to visit a friend in the way down so I’ll start with them and last night I looked up pharmacies in the area we’re heading for - there are three in the immediate town and I’m sure I can widen the net. I’ll call and see if any of them can get what I need. It’s awkward because it is one of three drugs listed on the repeat so it’s kind of all or nothing. The other stuff is easy to get. Fingers crossed - my old mother always said ‘nothing in life is easy’ 😉
My rheumatologist referred me as Rtx caused havoc on my immune system and she said I needed an immunologist. They don’t tend to refer you to an immunologist unless something has gone wrong that the rheumys can’t deal with.
Thanks, for your quick response, I always feel that my immune system was messed up years ago when my doc told me to take an anti histamine every other day throughout the year. Always had trouble with sinuses and now it seems to be worse. However with the move to Wales I seem to be getting much better care, than where I was.
Worth a try. The immunologist wanted to rule out that my persistent cough wasn’t due to allergy, It wasn’t. It was/is bronchitis caused by low igG and IgM.
Oh dear! I always have to order my meds. I do it on Patient Access then my nominated chemist delivers to me. I can get same day Dr appointment on if I ring at 8.30am .Don't blame the junior drs going on strike for £14 an hour. Up to you if you take the generic tablets. I have and they didn't kill me. Hope tomorrow is a better day
No, I don’t blame the doctors either - husband was a former optometrist and people used to pay more for an MOT for their car than the government were prepared to pay optometrists to carry out NHS eye tests in England - but it it must be very hard to bear if you are one of the unlucky patients who are waiting for urgent treatment for cancer or something else that is important and you do wonder how things will be if you are involved in a serious accident. But hey ho!
It seems that money can be found for all sorts of things apart from things that will directly benefit the general public.
No, I realise generic tablets won’t kill me but I wasn’t at all well when I was changed (quite willingly) onto generic tablets - think it was a filler or something so my GP changed me back onto what he had started me on. I have absolutely no objections to a generic drugs at all - as long as it doesn’t make me feel worse than a branded tablet.
Considering I’ve never asked my GP for anything on prescription that I can buy over the counter I buy all my own preservative free dry eye drops etc, I ended up having to pay for my own MRI scans when my then doctor refused me an X-ray telling me that what turned out to be a fractured sacrum was ‘probably a touch of osteoarthritis, quite common at my age’ so I’m not exactly a burden on the NHS and would prefer to take meds that make me feel better rather than something that just ‘won’t kill me’..
I feel like you. It feels like no one gives a hoot. My partners cancer procedure for Monday has just been cancelled. My rheumatologist appt just been cancelled. They never answer the calls to their “ helpline “. I m told to take a biologic but only when a “nurse “ from Sciencus has shown me then say goodbye to an immune system Everyone on here is always sore and in pain - hardly an advert for the benefit of medicines . What’s the point of any of it. I might as well do what my old uncle Brian did and go to the pubs. So yes ! You’re right. It’s not right - any of it.
I am SO sorry to hear your partner’s cancer procedure has been cancelled, that must be so distressing for you both. Then top it all with your own rheumatologist cancelling. It really is beyond tough. I’m sending you my best wishes that you can both get the help you need soon.
Oh no, hang in there .. somehow. My biologics specialist sister offered to do my first new med pen last September if I took it in to her at rheumatology. I’d been waiting a month for Lloyd’s to contact me but then Lloyd’s booked the nurse. Could your rheumy nurse do it for you at hospital? Maybe it’s a no go if they’re understaffed and don’t answer the helpline. (Also could your GP email the rheumy to get things moving?) My rheumy call for May has been cancelled but I saw her 8.2. for an hour, so I’m not too concerned re the May one. I hope your partner gets another date ASAP for her procedure. 🙏🏻
You’re not far wrong there! I hope PALS shame the rheumy dept into doing something and it’s awful if they are so overworked and understaffed etc., but that doesn’t help you starting your new med. 😑 I hope you get a positive response and a solution very soon. I do hope for a better day for you tomorrow. 🤞🏻I do hope too your partner gets another appointment soon.
On the same day I received two rheummy appointments for different days then in the afternoon post got two cancelled appointments The following day I received two further appointments Took myself to the first one and the consultant asked why was I there as she had seen me in January I showed her all four appointments she said everything was now sorted yesterday I received a letter for June and august!
Maybe I have got someone else’s as well I rang the hospital and was told I must attend or be taken off the list ❤️🩹
I'm not sure if you are aware but Boots was sold to an American company. Our local Boots quite often is closed due to lack of staff. Such a shame. I am lucky as like Neonkittie I order my meds through my GPs website and they forward to my local chemist of my choice. I have had problems on occasion as I am limited to one manufacturer of hydroxy. However, I have found manufacturers very helpful if you need to contact them, either by phone or email. Good luck.
Ih I know, last year on the Isle of Wight there was a huge stink over lack of pharmacies. They were closed during the day - letters to the paper etc. there is a large Boots store on a small shopping mall near us. A few months ago the pharmacy closed completely. The town has a really small and very poor Boots, the local Sainsbury is about to lose their Lloyds concession. Boots in our nearest large town is only really interested in selling make up these days. Lots of American brands aimed I assume at the young. They have closed off one of the two entry doors at the from and now employ guards! How things have changed since they were our high street Boots the Chemist.
Good idea in the manufacturer. I’ll try that thank you.
Our Boots employ a security guard and only have one door that now opens. I put this down to the fact that the rise in shop lifting has shot up, and the lack of floor staff, doesn't help. Good luck and take care.
That’s exactly it - they staffing levels are so low now. The products they sell now are very expensive too so a shop lifter could clean up in no time. It’s awful isn’t it - there are those of us who work hard and pay for what we buy and others who see shoplifting as a profession.
I felt really sorry for an assistant yesterday she was manning a regular till and next to her a woman on the self service tills kept demanding that she come and help her on the self service till so the poor assistant had to jump to it and help while still dealing with the other person. The time before I was in a couple of student tourists dropped a full paper cup of fizzy drink and ice cubes on the floor when the assistant manning the self service tills turned her back! They didn’t even have the decency to point it out and apologise.
I’m not sure I can see Boots in the town I was in lasting for long - same as the M&S directly across the road from it, both stores look ‘tired’ and things don’t look great for either store. Long queues and hardly any assistants plus M&S clothes aren’t what they were.
I have always had to order my own repeat prescription. Like others have said I use patient access, and then collect 48hrs later from the pharmacy. I am on over 25 meds, so I have an app that keeps a stock control of my meds, and warns me 2 weeks before to refill. You can set it to remind you however many days you want. I’ve had issues with a few meds and had to accept generic ones. My pain patches were one of the affected recently, with them not staying stuck in place, making it challenging.
I fully support the junior Drs, it’s ridiculous that someone working in a coffee shop earns more than a Dr, having studied for years. It’s Steve Barclay I blame for refusing to meet with these health professionals. I nursed in the nhs for 34yrs, my pension is£5,000 less a year than it should be if our pay has kept up with inflation, and not been frozen. The government can find money to throw at their mates, but can’t find it for public sector workers. This dispute could be ended by now if he just sat round the table with these unions. I haven’t tried to get hold of my gp in the last few days, but I know if I fill an EConsult form out they will deal with my concerns promptly.
I hope you have a lovely time in Cornwall and they have your meds.
Looks like after years of being ‘spoilt’ by my local pharmacy I’ll need to get myself an app of some sort. Goodness knows how you do it with so many meds. That must have the potential to be a complete nightmare.
Agree, governments (and I mean governments of all political colours, because I think ultimately they are all in it for themselves) can find the money when and for what suits them. So many noses in so many troughs.
The whole four day strike thing is dreadful, neither side wants to give an inch and the sick and dying are suffering.
I think what bothers me about it all is that a profession that was trusted and was always held in high regard will no longer be seen in the same way - although being held high regard doesn’t pay the bills.
Just noticed this in the Guardian though - looks like ‘Junior’ doctors are split when it comes to striking.
it’s all there listed on my GP practice website/App to order repeat script items and then add in for anything infrequently requested. I’ve managed to get down to four GP script items but you just tick a box to request each med from the time before, etc. Then confirm and add any comments you might want to make at the end in another box re brand preferred of tablet if possible, etc. You can see when it’s been done and sent for the script approving by the GP then it is sent onto the pharmacy. The script request form tells you when it’s been received/approved and the next time you can order, but we have a scripts manager at my practice who can help if you’ve forgotten anything/have a problem. She’s a godsend to many! I had to get a password from the practice and sign a form I think years ago to do the online and then it went to being an App but still the same scripts procedure. Good luck! x
The strikes are about more than pay. Everywhere is short staffed so colleagues have to cover these gaps as well as doing their own work. Pensions and wages have been slashed/ frozen for 13 years, and it can be very stressful doing front line work. Many people in the Cabinet have shares in Private Healthcare. It is quite literally in their financial interest to continue to run the NHS down. Brexit caused all kinds of shortages and students have tens of thousands of £££ of debt so they can help others. Blaming strikers for wanting a fair wage and decent work conditions is grossly unfair.
I don’t think people on here are against the junior doctors striking .. they absolute deserve much more then they get in their salary and yes it’s also about the long stressful hours, working conditions and many years of intense study and training. I think it’s the frustration of knock on effects for many patients including postponement/cancellation of vital appointments that some people have spoken about. Not being unsupportive or the junior docs. I certainly support them. I can’t see Steve Barclay agreeing to 35% which the BMA want, but SB will need to offer something very decent.
I have full sympathy for people awaiting appointments etc, especially for cancer which quite literally can be life or death. I just get infuriated when people ‘blame’ the strikers. It’s not their fault the NHS is crumbling. I just want to deflect away from the strikers and focus on the culprits I suppose..
They do. They have shares in Private healthcare companies and their mates make billions out of dodgy NHS contracts (as clearly shown in Track & Trace/ unusable PPE etc etc). The system is totally corrupt; they are fully aware of what they are doing 🤬🤬🤬.
"it’s ridiculous that someone working in a coffee shop earns more than a Dr, having studied for years."
That's not true. Jr doctors get a basic wage of £29,000 in their first year, but on top of that they get extra for working nights and weekends. My friend's niece is four years out of med school and is getting £75,000 a year. And they have a very strict pay grade that they climb up, so once they have "studied for years" jr doctors are on £58K basic, with the extras they get it would be £85K Here is a document on their pay grades: bma.org.uk/media/5504/bma-j...
Pret managers (the original ad stated it was managers, not the people making the coffee) are at the top grade for their career, very few will get more money over the years than a jr doctor because there are only so many managerial jobs they can be promoted into. They don't have the grading increases year on year that jr doctors have.
All graduates have loads to pay back, not just doctors, and jr doctors get paid study leave too.
So true. If you look at the Guardian link I posted you will see that the second doctor says exactly what you are saying. I can’t think of any of our town GP surgeries where a GP works for more than two days a week.
My son works in IT and the latest there is that since covid and home working the younger ones want to work from whatever exotic place they want to visit abroad and now the most recent suggestion is that they will do the work but only ‘make themselves available’ for consultation between certain hours in the day - I think it was between 10.00 and 14.00 hours not a full working day like oldies like us (and my son) do. Times and expectations seem to be changing.
work place is changing and for the overall good I think. My company doesn’t have set holidays. They can take as many as they want to. They can work from anywhere in the world and do. Our outputs are far higher and quality off the scale. People take responsibility for their own workload and a happy team means happy clients. Win win!
Hmm I can see your point and his place is already pretty flexible like that - it’s quite normal for them work from all over the world but I think they balked at this latest suggestion (only a few of them want to do it) of saying they only want to be available to be contacted for a few hours mid day.
Also brings in the question of earning very high London wages for living in real cheap places off the beaten track places and only being contactable for a few hours a day. Presumably in the case of an emergency the others who are available for their normal scheduled working hours will have to step in and troubleshoot. So you can have one happy team while other teams might not be quite so happy.
Times and expectations are definitely changing. As the saying goes ‘we live in interesting times’.
They will probably all step in for each other and everyone is happy then. If you can get the culture right, the rest follows. Our clients expect fast response times - within 20 minutes max and over 15 hours a day. So long as this is covered, then there's no issue. We also outsource quite a lot of our stuff to different time-zones. Like any business, if you get a 'it's not my job' kind of person, then they're in the wrong place. They don't last long with me
Sign of the times I am afraid. I am in my 70’s too. Luckily my Drs are brilliant and have always been able to speak with them. Rheumatology helpline is another story🤬. Like neonkittie said…I do my repeat online Drs site and approval gets sent to chemist. There seems to be a shortage of certain pills at the moment. We never get the same ‘make’ altho that might be due to cost. Big hug
Thank you - when I was being treated for Graves’ disease some years ago I never seemed to get the same brand twice in a row and that’s supposed to be good practice with thyroid meds. Fortunately it didn’t make any difference to me. I get different hydroxychloroquine, I’m sure it’s because they buy the cheapest on offer at the time. Big hugs back to you.
Hi I am just about o be 78 and when I said to my Doctor "we elderly think that the Government and National Health are waiting for us all to die" he laughed and said No. I honestly believe that if you ask any of us that is how we feel. Myself waiting for an urgent respiratory appointment and it is now over 5 months. Be positive and enjoy every day as well as you can...it appears we cannot get the help we need however hard we try (speaking from experience) so dont let "them" make you depressed. I was like that last week and found something to give me a boost and this week am coping (with a smile). Big hugs S
I honestly don’t think if we miss a few drugs now & then it’s going to make a significant difference to us older ladies.
Yes it’s really annoying….especially if the drug in question really suits us…but don’t let it get you in too much of a tizzy……I’m sure when I get all hot & bothered about such things ..I just feel worse, & I’m the one who suffers !
I am so sorry to hear this FNC, it just feels like one uphill battle and it shouldn't be. I'm 58 and have been feeling this way for some time. I could not even begin to tell you things as it gets more like a tangled ball of wool each day. Some days I am ok and can manage. As one poster on here said sometimes we find something that gives us a little boost or lift in spirit. Then there are other times when things feel overwhelming and feel like they are crashing down on us. In my situation I cannot blame covid, as it was happening way before that. I have come off the phone from my GP's this morning and no joy, no appointments now or next week (the books they say aren't open for the week after but no doubt the minute they are, same sketch no appointments). I'm chasing up from several hospitals (who appear not to communicate with each other) scans, blood results, a call I should have received to inform if I am finally on the waiting list after over five years for a knee replacement, I am bone on bone. I was issued the wrong strength of tablets by my GP and ended up taking over the counter tablets for 24 hrs the other week as they said they had emailed her and she was only back in on the Tuesday...and the list goes on. So I hear you and wished I knew what the answer was to all of this. I feel I am being 'fobbed off and written off' at 58 so my heart goes out to you, it really does. I wished I had a huge blanket to scoop us all up in as life is hard enough as it is without all this on top to contend with. Sending my supportive and warmest wishes out to you. Keep going. keep looking for those chinks of light/little boosts and keep hopeful. xxx
Thank you, it’s a bit of a nightmare isn’t it. So much for ‘patient choice’ and stopping the morning scramble for appointments. I’m not sure what the answer is but it looks like the NHS needs a good shake up from top to bottom. Hope you get a chink of light in the form of a knee appointment soon. Once you’ve had that done and recovered you’ll be a whole new person. Good luck x
It seems we have to be proactive in all things medical now which means as we get older it gets more and more difficult. My GP Surgery is a few yards down the road and was wonderful until they joined a larger practice 7 miles away. To try and make an appointment you have to ring the surgery 7 miles away and sit on the phone only to be told “no appointments today, try tomorrow.” My local surgery is a dispensing surgery which is great except being told to allow 3 working days just doesn’t apply anymore. Even allowing 7 working days your prescription is still at the bottom of the pile so you are then having to call in every day to see if it’s been done, hence you could be running out of something.
I emailed my Rheumatoid nurse to ask why I hadn’t had my 6 month appointment which is due in May to receive a reply that I could have a telephone one if I wanted. I replied by asking if they weren’t doing F2F anymore and got a reply to say yes if I felt I needed a F2F. I now have one for next month but if I hadn’t made a note for when it was due I would have fallen through the gap as I call it.
I get fed up of the generic Omeprozole that I keep getting. I’m not sure if it’s in my head but none of them work as well for me. I’m sure it’s economics which I can understand but it doesn’t help me .
Maybe it’s some sort of secret project to keep us alert as we get older! Keep our minds active etc. I noticed on the poster my little branch of Boots had up that I need to apply for my repeat prescription 7-10 days before I need it. I was in this morning to ask about the Zestril and was told that it wasn’t likely to be arriving any time soon and was given my prescription to take away. Not sure I’m winning - the assistant in the Tesco chemist I spoke to hadn’t even heard of it and was most surprised when I said I’d had it every month since about 2004. She went off and came back to say they couldn’t get it. So I’m still hunting. Unfortunately as I’m discovering getting the prescription doesn’t guarantee you will actually get the meds.
I asked the boy in the pharmacy about having ti order for myself and he said it was a government thing that is gradually being rolled out over the country. He said he thinks the idea is that if people have to fill in their repeat prescription at home they are more likely to only tick for the drugs they want to take rather than just tell the assistant to tick everything. Not sure if that will work.
He said that it’s not uncommon for relatives who have been clearing houses bring in three years worth of unused prescription drugs that were stockpiled in the houses of their late relative! I’ve always made a point of telling the doctor if I don’t want to take something for exactly that reason.
I was due to see the rheumatologist last September - a year after I saw them in 2021. I haven’t bothered because a) I feel well and b) alendronic acid was one of the drugs I told the doctor I didn’t want to take because it made me feel very ill and when they found out rheumatology are keen for me to have an infusion. So I’m keeping a low profile. Good luck with your F2F - well don’t for getting it 😉
I don’t think that’s true about thinking if you have to fill in your prescription at home you only tick what you need. My neighbour ticks everything and has boxes of pills all over the house. I think most people would just tick everything on the prescription.
Our local Sainsbury’s (7 miles away) is closing Lloyds pharmacy within the store and I wouldn’t be surprised if the small Boots store nearest me closes shortly too.
At any point when I’ve been to pick up my prescription from my surgery, there is always a queue for the pharmacy and no one is ever waiting to see a doctor. We all suspect there aren’t any working most days. It’s so worrying as we get older.
Think I may have phrased that incorrectly - he said we’ve just got to tick the boxes at home and hopefully people will only tick for what they will need not tick all the boxes. I think they’ll still just tick all the boxes.
Same here the Sainsbury’s we sometimes go to is closing its Lloyds. The Boots near there that has closed its pharmacy is a big new one on one of those parades with M&S, Next and half a dozen fashion shops. It is worrying as we get older. x
Sorry to hear you’re having a bad time with things. It gets you down for sure. I have to order my prescription myself on patient access it’s then delivered to Boots but we have to leave 2 weeks for it to be done. I asked if I could have 2 months worth of meds instead of monthly & GP agreed. The problem is that if we don’t order something for a while then it’s removed from our repeat list. This is a problem& a pain to sort out as I recently had to write to the Pharmacy team as 4 meds had been removed from my repeat. They scanned the letter into my NHS App then filed it. Never actioned it!! As for GP’s our has to be the worst ever. I’ve been waiting since 27th October for a call back about a swollen knee. I keep going to the surgery to be told I’m still on the waiting list. I complained & was told to write outstanding problems in a letter addressed to the GP. I did this 5 weeks ago & still nothing. I’m past being angry 😡 as it uses up energy I don’t have & I’ve just given up. I’ve decided to go privately instead. I don’t usually have any issues with Lloyds deliveries though until last week. I’ve restarted Abatacept after 2 months off for surgery & Rheumy did inform them & reissue my prescription but I had to call them yesterday as down to my last pen. This is the first time I have had to chase them. Sorry this has turned into a rant on your post. I really hope you get sorted with some of your problems & feel refreshed after your trip away x
Thank you - it is exhausting chasing things up isn’t it. The problem isn’t the GP - they prescribe what I need, it’s the pharmacy doesn’t seem to be able to get hold of what I’ve been prescribed.
I’m going to do what you’ve done and ask if I can have a two month supply of the drug that seems to be difficult to get at least I won’t have to worry so much because I will always have some in hand. I’m not sure the ‘just in time’ store ordering system always works with prescriptions.
Hope you get s9mething done soon, it’s very disheartening isn’t it. Looks like so many people are in the same situation. Pretty awful isn’t it.
It’s horrendous tbh. They seem to be doing emergency stuff from what I can gather but never getting to anything else at all. Plus no many errors I could write a book. Ours are a disgrace. It is utterly exhausting chasing everything up. I don’t know what to suggest re pharmacy unfortunately but at least if you had 2 months worth I guess it would make things a bit less stressful. X
I think you hit the nail on the head when you say about using energy we don't have. Our energy is precious to us and could be used in a better way to our benefit and quality of life. Best Wishes x
Please don't just give up! I have to go on-line & request my prescriptions, I think it's how most people do it. If a drug doesn't agree with you badger your GP for an alternative. You have to keep on trying.
Hi MerielPB, thanks for replying - still battling on. I got in touch with AstraZeneca who seem to no longer make the drug in the U.K. but who told me who does.
In the meantime the pharmacist in Lloyds suggested we try an independent chemist in a village about five miles away so my other half did that this afternoon and the pharmacist thinks he can get it for us - it ought to be there waiting for me the day I get back - not ideal but better than nothing. I’m going to do what Otto11 suggests and try and get two months next time so that I have a decent number of pills in reserve to deal with this sort of thing.
I’ve been really spoiled by my tiny local Boots pharmacy because I’ve not had to order for myself for years - not since they offered that service. I’m going to have to give the little grey cells a huge shake up and find out what other people have been doing while I’ve been being thoroughly spoilt by my local Boots. x
I have no problem with my GP - I do not have RA, I have everything else. I order my script online and my GP sends it to pharmacy who deliver within 48 hours.
No you should not give up, find a decent pharmacy - I used to have Lloyds and they ordered and delivered ,
Thanks for the link. It’s not the GP who is the problem - turns out that some pharmacies are no longer accessing the named brand I take. I suppose everyone must be on a generic version of lisinopril. However the lady in our local Lloyds pointed my husband in the direction of an independent pharmacy in a village about five miles away and he says he can get it so hopefully it will be there by the time I get home again - I can last out that long. 🤗
I have that problem with brands, mine keep changing. been happening a lot more since COVID. My Pharmacy in the village I live is Fishlocks, their service is good but what you get depends on what brands they have.
My husband said that when dropped in to Lloyds to check if they had what I need there was a man three people in front of him who presented a script and the assistant just looked at it and laughed - don’t know what it was for - and the guy just said ‘I know’.
She referred him to the place she told my husband about. Hopefully our independent pharmacy can manage to stay open
It`s awful what`s happening now. I`m sorry for all the troubles everyone are going through but it will get worse. The news said that 350,000 appointments, operations etc have been cancelled due to the doctors strikes. I`ve never seen the NHS this bad. This is the end of the NHS as we know it and it won`t be long before it changes until it`s a completely private healthcare service. It`s best for people not to rely on the government for help as they certainly don`t care about us. This has been planned by very powerful people in the world for a long time and is a depopulation agenda. I`m afraid it`s not conspiracy theory, it`s really happening. Be as self sufficient as possible. Grown your own fruit and vegetables, eat as healthily as you can, exercise every day even if it`s just a little, get as much sunshine for vitamin D, live simply and do what you can to eliminate stress. See your loved ones as often as you can and enjoy each moment of your life. The West is falling.
I've got to that point too. I'm not quite as old as you but I feel like I'm part of the nhs admin team. They send appointments out willy nilly. I have to ring them up and explain. As all my appointment are availabe to be see why don't they connect the dots.
I have complex health problems. Its a day you can't attend as it clashes with another hospital appointment which may be more important or you have a virus not necessarily covid. But 2 strikes and your out no matter how reasonable the reason. And such a rude letter telling you so. They also think you should be stuck to your mobile phone waiting for them to call you without giving you a time.
I honestly feel like I will just wither away as I haven't the energy to deal with them any more.
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