Does your doctor send prescriptions to pharmacy?

Hedgehog99

My doctors surgery has just started doing this.

It being the 21st Century, there was I thinking my prescription would be sent electronically to any pharmacy I chose.

Pah!

Apparently:
1) I can only use certain pharmacies who are "linked" with my surgery.
2) My surgery then contacts the pharmacy within a day or two
3) Within another day or two the pharmacist goes to my surgery to fetch prescription
4) I can finally go and collect it about a week later

...and this is supposed to be more convenient for the patient?
Am I not trusted with the prescription?
Is it to reduce fraud?
Is it because pharmacies don't seem to keep enough stocks these days & have to order medicines in?

Personally, I liked having the piece of paper I could take anywhere. I could change my plans and go to a different pharmacy if it was more convenient and I got my medication the same day.

If someone can explain why this system has come in, and that the timescale will improve, I'd be grateful.

arbroath_lass

We have this but only for repeat prescriptions - sent in advance so the week wait is not relevant. Anything else we still get the paper. I can't imagine this working for antibiotics etc.

d0nkeyk0ng

A pharmacy has to be signed up to EPS for the surgery to be able to link to them. Only works for repeat drugs, so instead of having to go to gp surgery, ask for repeat script and then go to a pharmacy, you just go to your local one. People who benefit most will be those who have lots of repeats and the elderly.

Poppie68

I thought this service was only for repeat and not acute prescriptions.... You should also be able to opt out and ask your surgery to leave your prescription for pick up or for another pharmacy of your choosing.

Hedgehog99

Thanks arbroath lass, d0nkeyk0ng & Poppie68 - makes sense for repeat prescriptions as you describe. I still need to attend my surgery for an appointment though (I couldn't just put in an electronic rpt request), so I feel trapped between two systems. I'll just have to remember to order extra early.

I might opt out next time, but she said I'd have to wait to get the prescription signed if I wanted it on paper &, at that time, I thought I'd successfully nominated the supermarket pharmacy I wanted to use. They rang me later to say I had to choose a different one :undecided

Poppie68

d0nkeyk0ng wrote: »

A pharmacy has to be signed up to EPS for the surgery to be able to link to them. Only works for repeat drugs, so instead of having to go to gp surgery, ask for repeat script and then go to a pharmacy, you just go to your local one. People who benefit most will be those who have lots of repeats and the elderly.

For me its great I have 12 different medications and is so much easier ....one phone call to the pharmacy and 3 days later they are at the door...

lr1277

At my surgery, the repeat prescriptions are picked up physically by pharmacy staff twice a day.

lostinrates

Theoretically yes they do, however there are often errors or hold ups. Some originate from surgery, some from pharmacy, who also manage and deliver my prescriptions.

This week for example I needed something that one of my consultants has prescribed twice but not my surgery ( because its not been needed since!), it took a few days and phone calls and was a surgery issue, but my pharmacy eventually got it here. I'd have done a lot easier with it two days earlier, but it have survived.

For urgent prescription requests its same day ( really urgent not just, had an appointment today, want it today) usually its a 48 hour situation for gp's to sign repeat prescriptions at my surgery. If the pharmacy manage it this is IME better coordinated, ( I dare to suggest individuals are delayed over the pharmacy connections ).

In general I find it IS improving particularly if you let them manage a long term repeat prescription.

Katiehound

I have a repeat prescription delivered to a local pharmacy- just round the corner not in the town centre, so very convenient.
I was lucky recently, had a telephone consultation, and because
it was a reoccurence of a previous condition the scrip was sent to the pharmacy electronically and I was able to pick it up within an hour. That is progress!
Sadly however the likelihood of actually meeting a GP face to face is very low!! We have via the telephone to talk to the receptionist, to get a phone consultation and then, just maybe you get to see a nurse practitioner, or that rare species a Dr!! But I guess that situation is countrywide.

DD265

I do this for repeat prescriptions (reminds me I need to go in and collect!) and it suits me fine. I tell the pharmacist what date I need the repeat by and it's sat there ready and waiting.

I collect from my Tesco pharmacy which is great because they have long opening hours and I work a couple of hours from home/my GP.

chocdonuty

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

Apparently:
1) I can only use certain pharmacies who are "linked" with my surgery.
2) My surgery then contacts the pharmacy within a day or two
3) Within another day or two the pharmacist goes to my surgery to fetch prescription
4) I can finally go and collect it about a week later

.

If your prescription is electronic then the pharmacy don't have to physically go and collect it (unless it is a controlled drug) seems a bit long winded!

Our pharmacy faxes off the repeats once customers ask for them and the surgery then sends them electronically back to the pharmacy, usually within a couple of days but frequently the same day, works well :beer:
Being so quick it means the pharmacy can order in any medications that are unusual, out of stock or larger quantities than usual.
If the pharmacy cannot fulfill the prescription, it can get sent back to the spine and either something else will be prescribed or the customer can go to another pharmacy. where they can request it.

Customers can also order repeats themselves via the doctor or online if the surgery allows.

Sometimes the doctor will prescribe something during a consultation and send it straight away.

Electronic prescriptions generally work very well and are safer/more convenient for patient and pharmacy but as with all technology it can go wrong occasionally and being new there are a few hiccups along the way!