reader Posted April 5, 2022 Report Share Posted April 5, 2022 I read the aticle on todays W-W then followed up with the document that had been published. I could have put in one page - Do the exisiting pharmacies carry out an efficient service dispensing prescriptions ? Answer - No in WA2. I have tested out 3 pharmacies, 1 Lloyds and 2 Well they take between 4 and 8 days to make up a prescription after the doctors have sent a prescription through (normally 24 to 48 hrs) so it could be 6 to 10 days before you receive the medication. So the survey could have another question - is there enough pharmacies and with these delays the answer is no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 5, 2022 Report Share Posted April 5, 2022 Sometimes it is not the pharmacy that causes the delay. My wifes doctors can sometime take a week to process an online request which is then sent to the pharmacy. My doctors take about a day to process the request and send it out which usually mean i get a notification within two days that it is ready for collection. i also get a text from both the doctors t say that they have sent the script to the pharmacy and from the pharmacy to say it is ready. The only two things that holds mine up at times are a shortage of the correct medicines or the fact that it is sent to my local pharmacy after being processed at a different pharmacy in the area. I have a tendency to order mine when i have just over a weeks supply left just in case, Mrs Sids at present is on auto repeat for 12 months so i just get a text every month to say they are ready. (which should be any time in the next week or two so if i put mine in today they will definitely be ready for Friday this week) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted April 5, 2022 Report Share Posted April 5, 2022 Fortunately, I’ve not had any medical issues that required me to need a prescription, but I suspect it’s very different than when we’d just walk in with the note and wait while they make it up. Mrs Green has some regular prescriptions that need a few online clicks, and it then tells us when they’ll be ready for collection at the local Lloyds. We normally do this well in advance so it’s not an issue if it takes a few days. Bill 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer II Posted April 5, 2022 Report Share Posted April 5, 2022 Being IT phobic, I tick off the items on the prescription list, pop it into the post box at the Surgery, about a week before I run out. then pick it up the following week. Worked OK touch wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 5, 2022 Report Share Posted April 5, 2022 That's ok if your local surgery is down the road obs. mine is on wilderspool causeway, which would mean trip from the hospital to there to drop it off and a second trip to pick it up followed by a twenty minute wait if the pharmacy is busy. Mrs Sid was not too bad as her doctor was round the corner until they moved to the jubilee hub. that is a nightmare. firstly finding a parking spot and then dropping the repeat in. followed up by the same again to pick it up. the only plus side was that there was a pharmacy in the hub. the really daft thing is that my prescriptions go to the hub to be sorted and are then shipped to guardian street for collection. doing it online means that i only have one trip out to collect the medication which i usually combine with a shopping trip to either aldi or tesco depending on what i need that month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latchford Locks Posted April 6, 2022 Report Share Posted April 6, 2022 I am at a loss to understand anyone with problems🥴 As since the arrival of covid the vast majority of chemists have had to adapt to customers new requirements. The vast majority of chemists now offer deliveries. And the actual meds can be ordered online via System Online available to all gp surgeries patients. So just order ,wait a day or two and phone the pharmacy to request a delivery. Well that's what I do , very often I can order in a morning and receive the meds the following day. Especially if the meds are a commonly requested item used by a lot of customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 6, 2022 Report Share Posted April 6, 2022 well i ordered mine at ten this morning and got a text from my doctors to say it had been sent to the pharmacy at one minute past. I will get another when it is ready for collection from the pharmacy. i could get it delivered but as the pharmacy is about a quarter mile as the crow flies, or half a mile by car it is not worth the mither of wondering when they will turn up with it. plus it gets me out of the house for ten minutes or so. the odd thing is it is nearly always mrs sids meds that i have a problem with and she only has three the most amount being calcium tablets which they never seem to have enough of. mine is five lots and never had to go back because they are short of a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted April 6, 2022 Report Share Posted April 6, 2022 Yep, staying in all day stressing and wondering if a prescription will be delivered is all a bit silly when a short walk to pick it up yourself probably has more health benefits. Fine if you can’t get out and about but we do seem to be moving towards a society that hardly ever goes through the door and totally reliant on delivery companies. We tried the home delivery thing when it first came out but dropped it after just one delivery. My son once accused us of being old fashioned simply because we didn’t buy everything online. After a while, us old fashioned parents had to tell him to stop asking us to take deliveries for him as it was ruining our lives. Bill 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 7, 2022 Report Share Posted April 7, 2022 I much prefer to do my shopping in person, as it were. That way at least i can choose the stuff i need and know it is fresh, of decent quality and what i want. The order pickers have several orders to do at a time and just grab the first item on the list from the shelf which can mean that they could be out of date by the time they are delivered. saving time seems to be the thing these days but what they do with the saved time i have no idea. believe it or not today's special buys at aldi include a battery operated pan stirrer, it is a device that clips onto your pan and stirs it's contents for you. Somebody somewhere came up with this, they sat down and actually thought about it as a good idea and then managed to convince the company to make it. i enjoy what cooking i do and find watching the pans and giving the odd stir part of the whole cooking enjoyment. it also builds up my appetite for the meal once cooked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninearches Posted April 7, 2022 Report Share Posted April 7, 2022 I order from my doctor via the NHS app. I then collect from my local Boots a few days later when texted. (300 yards away) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latchford Locks Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 On 4/5/2022 at 7:37 AM, reader said: I read the aticle on todays W-W then followed up with the document that had been published. I could have put in one page - Do the exisiting pharmacies carry out an efficient service dispensing prescriptions ? Answer - No in WA2. I have tested out 3 pharmacies, 1 Lloyds and 2 Well they take between 4 and 8 days to make up a prescription after the doctors have sent a prescription through (normally 24 to 48 hrs) so it could be 6 to 10 days before you receive the medication. So the survey could have another question - is there enough pharmacies and with these delays the answer is no. What about the other 2 pharmacies ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 be off to pick mine up from guardian street in a bit. got the text earlier to say they were ready for collection. so less than two days. pretty good really. Mrs sids can be at the doctors for two days before it is sent to the pharmacy. Rowlands by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 I’m not sure if I’m missing the point here, Are we talking about regular repeat prescriptions like my wife has or having to visit or contact a doctor who then prescribes something? If it’s simply a case of a repeat prescription then it’s just a few clicks, normally well in advance of when the medication is needed. Bill 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 9, 2022 Report Share Posted April 9, 2022 it started with the dispensing survey,Bill so presumably both situations apply but from the gist of readers original post it suggests a regular repeat prescription. towards the middle of last year there were a few hold ups due to the lack of hgv drivers that was affecting everything including deliveries to pharmacies causing delays in or shortages in medications dispensed. That seems to have gone now as far as i am aware. i have been with rowlands for many years, both with my and mrs sids medication and also with my mothers when she was alive, and that was a nightmare as every time she went into hospital it was changed. having to visit a doctor is a different survey Bill. now that is a nightmare to navigate through and only certain cases get to see an actual doctor like when things start turning a funny colour or falling ioff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted April 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 The survey initially caught my eye as my problem was with repeat prescriptions. My problem was time delays. The GPs always seem to get the prescriptions off to the chemist within 24/48 which they seem to do. This can be verified on the NHS App (or Patient Access if you use that) No problem there. The delays are definitely at the chemist end making up the prescriptions which if you are lucky can be a further 4 days upto 6 or 7. Prior to electronic prescriptions you go into a chemist with a prescription and pick it in an hour at the most. So why the delays ? In the case of the LLoyds chemist 1 of the previous pharmacists told me the prescriptions were made up centrally and then shipped to the nominated shop. If this is the case that explains the delay the drugs are being shipped around town Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 Rowlands use the same system yet they seem to manage to get the meds to the right place on time. funny thing last friday i picked up mine and was also told that Mrs sid's was ready (it is on auto renew aparently). Imagine my surprise when i got a text this Wednesday to say that the prescription was ready for collection. i called them and they said it was Mrs sid's after asking if it was the one i picked up friday they told me it was the auto renewal prescription. for some reason the doctors system had sent it out twice. so no need to go next month unless it turns up again.....🤦♀️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 I can’t see the issue with repeat prescriptions as the online system allows you to request the medications well in advance of when they’re needed so how long it takes for the chemist to prepare them ready is academic. What I also don’t understand though is why it’s necessary to involve the doctor for a repeat prescription as this just adds even more time. I was talking about this last night and the conversation got round to how these days it’s getting near impossible to see a doctor. Apparently, the system advises seeing the dispensing chemist for certain none life threatening problems. This makes a bit of sense I suppose but worryingly, not being a trained doctor, he could be issuing a simple cough medicine for early-stage lung cancer. Aside from that, if the doctor issues a prescription, most of us don’t have to pay anything but that’s not the case if the chemist issues it. Bill 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confused52 Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Bill, that is not so at the surgery I use. There is a re-order date on the prescription and the surgery will not accept a repeat more than two days in advance. The Date concerned is always the day the doctor authorises it plus 28 days, so any delay eats into the margin of extra supply (I try to keep seven days for out of stock events). The pharmacy usually takes from Friday to the next Tuesday to fill the prescription and have it ready for collection. Pharmacist and supply willing. I have to request by email and if I don't keep to the schedule I run out. It is impossible to order earlier to increase the margin of error. The surgery will not give out more than 56 days supply, to prevent me wasting tablets which are only costing the NHS about £5.00 a month if I have the temerity to die before I finish taking them. About the caring NHS ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latchford Locks Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 I needed to phone my doctors today And was waiting 15 mins to get through not a big deal as my mobile has unlimited hours' But if I was a Pensioner on a home landline I tried to work how much it would cost as not just 15 mins on hold but 5 spent on talking to the receptionist. Well on my virgin landline(which I don't use. ) it was 12p a minute so £ 2.40 !!!!! disgraceful both virgins charges and the inability of whoever is in charge of NHS call rates make these lines 0800. Imagine once a week, in a year ? that's £ 124.00 a fair old whack on the nose for a basic rate pensioner or anybody on limited welfare benefits. Something needs sorting out 😒 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer II Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 It's widespread Latch; I phoned the Council a couple of times last month, got through the automated answer system, then spent over 10 minutes listening to music; needless to say, I hung up. 😠 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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