Ever since this Covid lark started, SWMBO have had our repeat prescriptions delivered by Pharmacy2U. SWMBO set up hers first, and persuaded me to do the same.
All goes pretty well, except for the habit of the company of sending emails telling me to order my next batch early. I did order immediately a couple of times, but then realised that I now always seemed to have more than one month’s worth in stock at home, so now I apply common sense and only reorder when down to 2 weeks supply of my lowest stocked item.
Last week I visited the GP (that’s a novelty and makes a change from phone consultations) who prescribed antibiotics. He sent the prescription to our village pharmacy, but here the problem really starts.
Later that day I get an email from Pharmacy2U saying that they are no longer my supplier, and to click on a link in their email to go back to them. I do so, and think all is well.
Yesterday I receive the usual “order your medicines” reminder from Pharmacy2U, which, as usual, I ignore, because it’s too early. Today I get another yet another email from them saying they are not my supplier, again with the link to renew my registration, which I have duly done.
I can only assume that the c*ck-up is at the local GP surgery administration end, and hope it is sorted out in the next 2 weeks!
I get my prescriptions delivered by my local pharmacy and don’t have the hassle of a series of reminder emails cluttering up my inbox. My last prescription was sent to the pharmacy around 09l:00 I assume as that was the time of my telephone apt with my GP. The prescription was with me before 12, much faster than from an online service I expect.
Also, it might not be a c#ck-up, it might be that the surgery’s policy is that you have to tell the GP surgery where you want the prescription to be sent to, rather than a company telling them.
Good point. The only problem is that I don’t have a lot of faith in our local village chemist. Used to be OK when we moved here 40 years ago, but they have been increasingly flaky over the past few years since the original owner retired. Now owned by Well. At one time (pre-Covid) I let them start ordering my repeats for me. They got it wrong a few times - usually when I was asking for 2 months supply to make sure we had enough for our annual visit to the “out-laws” in Malta, or asking for an item which I only get twice a year. That was in the days when I used to walk up to the shop and collect it myself.
Pharmacies are commercial (ie non NHS organisations) who profit from dispensing medications. You have to select your chosen location for any electronic prescription. If you asked for ‘my local village pharmacy’ for your recent acute item then they may have cancelled your preference for Pharmacy2U and replaced it with the local pharmacy. You cannot have two preferred regular suppliers. Hence Pharmacy 2U being ‘deleted’ and needing to be reinstated. Your practice can select a location for a ‘one-off’ but our system was certainly a bit clunky with this so often it meant deleting your previous choice.
Of course if you appreciate your local village pharmacy and the personal service it offers I would suggest keeping it as your choice for all your prescriptions to support them. Or not (you may not have faith in yours but this is meant for a wider audience).
I order my regular Prescription online via Patient Access, when I need them. My GP Surgery then processes the request and passes it to my Nominated Pharmacy (which is actually just a few doors down the road). When they are ready, I get a text message. I then go and collect them.
I’ve just moved from Patient Access to the NHS app. I’ve yet to try an order, but I was recommended to move by a friendly doctor who suggested that there may be better control of patient data with the NHS app.
If/when local pharmacies have been driven out of business by the likes of Pharmacy 2U where will people go for their acute prescriptions - as well as the OTC products they can currently access ‘in-store’…
I agree with this. We are happy to use a local pharmacist which isn’t part of a chain. They order repeat prescriptions automatically for us and we get a txt message when it’s there to collect. It’s a half mile walk away.
I have my colitis medication on batch prescription. The doctor issues a batch of four prescriptions to the local chemist and all I do is call them a week or two before I run out and they order it in. They text me when it’s in and I pop round and pick it up. Having a chemist in the village is a great local asset - the pharmacist is hugely knowledgeable and really helpful - and it’s good to support them.
I have nothing against pharmacists. They are professionals, just as I used to be. Well Pharmacy is a chain, so our village Chemist is just a branch. Every time I’ve been in there seems to be a different pharmacist there. As I’ve said before, when I let them order my drugs for me, things seemed to frequently go sideways. Hasn’t happened in the year we’ve been using Pharmacy2U (mainly chosen so that I and SWMBO are with the same provider).
Just wish the GP had given me an old-fashioned paper prescription, then my current problem wouldn’t have happened.
Interesting that your GP should suggest this wondering if it has anything to do with the changes coming to Patients data access on the 23rd of this month?
Repeat dispensing works well - until the prescription changes and future issued scripts need to be cancelled. There are other problems that a seamless IT system should be able to mitigate - but we’re tallking NHS IT here so this doesn’t work as well as it might do…
