Indiscreet pharmacist!

anatomical

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

Try Tesco Pharmacy for your repeat prescriptions. Mine are sitting on the shelf ready for me to collect, I am asked by the counter assistant my surname which I give they then they go to the shelf take the package off the shelf take it round the back, hand it to the pharmacist who opens the package re-checks the prescription, takes out the repeat request slip packages it back up then the assistant comes and gives it to me asking me to confirm my address and then complete the back of the prescription!
Why? I dont know they just say it needs double checking! I can understand the security bit but isnt the rest just a waste of their time? I cant even go off and complete my shopping while im waitng as they have to do the same procedure when I get back to the counter as I have to be in attendance!

These are all fairly sensible safety precautions. You must confirm your surname so they can confirm your identity and find the right bag on the shelf. The pharmacist must double check the medication. Imagine if they didn't double check the medication, and the wrong packet was in the bag. This could have fairly disastrous consequences. You must give your address so they can prove it is going to the right person. You wouldn't be very happy if you got there and they'd given your medication to someone else. The back of the prescription must be completed so a. they have a signature to prove who took it and b. it helps form a receipt of payment. All these thing may seem annoying but these precautions are put in place to prevent anything serious going wrong. They wouldn't do them if there wasn't a good reason for it.

Crisp_£_note

anatomical wrote: »

These are all fairly sensible safety precautions. You must confirm your surname so they can confirm your identity and find the right bag on the shelf. The pharmacist must double check the medication. Imagine if they didn't double check the medication, and the wrong packet was in the bag. This could have fairly disastrous consequences. You must give your address so they can prove it is going to the right person. You wouldn't be very happy if you got there and they'd given your medication to someone else. The back of the prescription must be completed so a. they have a signature to prove who took it and b. it helps form a receipt of payment. All these thing may seem annoying but these precautions are put in place to prevent anything serious going wrong. They wouldn't do them if there wasn't a good reason for it.

I understand all that and am ok with it. What I was trying to say is why do they put them ready on the shelf to collect when their going to open them back up and check them again to be able to give them to me? I understand they need verifying and checking but wouldnt it be easier if they just put them together when I got there so the proceedure is done once? The pharmacist is obviously quite busy only to keep being interupted every couple of minutes or less with the assistant asking them to check an already prepared for collection package.
I do check the bag before leaving (a lot of the time they ask me to) so I am unlikely to leave with medicine I dont recognose without questioning it with them, let alone take it at home if I dont know what it was or am I in the minority ?

Errata

Parmacy assistants usually make up the scrip and the pharmacist checks it when the customer arrives to collect it. What's wrong with that?

juno

Have you never read something wrong, and then read it again soon after but still remembered the first time so still got it wrong? Looking later allows you to have a fresh look. So if the pharmacist got it wrong the first time they can pick up on it easier

Crisp_£_note

Errata wrote: »

Parmacy assistants usually make up the scrip and the pharmacist checks it when the customer arrives to collect it. What's wrong with that?

Nothing is wrong with it, just seems a bit of a waste of time to me.

Errata

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

Nothing is wrong with it, just seems a bit of a waste of time to me.

Maybe so, but it saves the NHS money.

anatomical

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

I understand all that and am ok with it. What I was trying to say is why do they put them ready on the shelf to collect when their going to open them back up and check them again to be able to give them to me? I understand they need verifying and checking but wouldnt it be easier if they just put them together when I got there so the proceedure is done once? The pharmacist is obviously quite busy only to keep being interupted every couple of minutes or less with the assistant asking them to check an already prepared for collection package.
I do check the bag before leaving (a lot of the time they ask me to) so I am unlikely to leave with medicine I dont recognose without questioning it with them, let alone take it at home if I dont know what it was or am I in the minority ?

That saves you time. It would take longer for them to go routing through all the cupboards looking for it when you got there. This way they simply take it off the shelf and show it to the pharmacist. Even if the assistant did find it when you took the prescription to them, they would still have to check it with the pharmacist.

You may do, I do, but that does not mean everyone does. I can see how people given medication from a pharmacy after giving in a prescription would assume it was right and just take it. There are other instances where someone could be given the right drug but at the wrong strength. Even if you read all the details on the packet it is unlikely you would think about the strength being wrong. This is something the pharmacist would pick up on. What about people with dyslexia? Learning difficulties? The blame would all be placed on the pharmacist if a mistake was made, so it is their professional duty and their right as an individual to make sure the medication being given to the patient is the one they prepared.

From experience some people believe everything health professionals tell them and do not think to question anything. I would much rather waste two minutes checking I was being given the right prescription than myself or someone else being harmed by the wrong medication. This is the way pharmacists and regulating bodies see it too. Two minutes of double checking for everyone could save costly and life threatening mistakes being made.

Crisp_£_note

Errata wrote: »

Maybe so, but it saves the NHS money.

anatomical wrote: »

That saves you time. It would take longer for them to go routing through all the cupboards looking for it when you got there. This way they simply take it off the shelf and show it to the pharmacist. Even if the assistant did find it when you took the prescription to them, they would still have to check it with the pharmacist.

You may do, I do, but that does not mean everyone does. I can see how people given medication from a pharmacy after giving in a prescription would assume it was right and just take it. There are other instances where someone could be given the right drug but at the wrong strength. Even if you read all the details on the packet it is unlikely you would think about the strength being wrong. This is something the pharmacist would pick up on. What about people with dyslexia? Learning difficulties? The blame would all be placed on the pharmacist if a mistake was made, so it is their professional duty and their right as an individual to make sure the medication being given to the patient is the one they prepared.

From experience some people believe everything health professionals tell them and do not think to question anything. I would much rather waste two minutes checking I was being given the right prescription than myself or someone else being harmed by the wrong medication. This is the way pharmacists and regulating bodies see it too. Two minutes of double checking for everyone could save costly and life threatening mistakes being made.

Thank you, when you put it that way then it makes sense so long as they dont mind I dont mind.

rev_henry

zaksmum wrote: »

Just collected my painkiller prescription from the local pharmacy, which was packed. The pharmacist works at a computer raised up above shop floor level. She called my name and asked very loudly what condition I have that I take the painkillers for.

All the bored customers waiting for prescriptions perked up and listened in as I explained. The pharmacist mentioned I was on a high dose of painkillers but conceded my condition probably merited it. She then wanted to know how my original injuries were sustained and what operations I've had! All this was shouted to me across the shop!

Surely there's some code of conduct pharmacists should abide by rather than bawling about peoples' medical history all over the shop in front of neighbours??

Pharmacy student's perspective on this...! No she shouldn't have asked very loudly, but you could just have asked to discuss it in private in the consultation room. She probably spoke loudly because of all the elderly patients telling her to speak up!

irenee wrote: »

I can totally emphasise with you over this

I get very annoyed with the pharmacist / assistant insisting that I reveal my address before giving me the perscription drugs

I have explained on a number of occasions that I do NOT want my address revealed to 'all and sundry' in Boots - I have a background of being stalked and never reveal my address openly

This has been greeted with grins and smiles as, apparently, ladies 'over a certain age' don't need to worry about being stalked - I have actually walked away from the counter rather than have my address revealed in public

How can they verify they're giving you the correct persons medication then?! Actually you could ask them to make a note to ask you for ID rather than your address so you wouldn't have to say it out loud.

Please don't compare pharmacists to GP receptionists! Pharmacists have a Masters degree in medicines, receptionists are, er, receptionists afaik, and I get just as wound up by them as you all do.

zoesmummy_2006

when I was 18 and getting serious with my first proper boyfriend I did the sensible thing and went on the pill. However I missed one one time and didnt realise until the following day-by which point it was too late IYKWIM lol. We went to the family planning clinic and got the MAP and then in my stress of taking that I took the 2nd dose too early. This was new years eve, and I couldnt get an appointment to see a doctor to reassure myself that I would be ok etc and that I wouldnt need to take another dose or anything. So I did what I thought was the next best thing and went to have a word with the pharmacist in town.

BIG MISTAKE!!!! For some reason he then decided to take it upon himself to call me at home to discuss something further, and when my parents said that I wasnt available he proceeded to inform my DAD of the reason why he was calling.

Ok so I know, adult enough to have sex then adult enough to discuss it with your parents, but the whole relationship/sex/pill thing was new to me and while I may have discussed things with my mum I wouldnt with my dad.

End result, I was fine, wasnt pregnant, learnt my lesson pill wise quick smart and got the biggest rollicking of my life from my dad-all because the pharmacist decided to ignore confidentiality! He still owns the pharmacy now, but I avoid him at all costs, prefer the smaller pharmacy in the new doctors surgery.