The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

pollyanna_26

Mrs LW We collect my dds prescriptions from a high st pharmacy a few miles away . About two years ago we were given the electronic payment chat . We signed up and within a few months we had a similar experience to yours . Both times the fault lay with the pharmacy although they would not acknowledge the fact . We reverted to the former system who had always worked well . My dd sees her doctor every other week so each month he prints out her prescriptions during the consultation .
It is possible this is a ploy by the pharmacies . I have not seen anything to confirm that there is no longer choice in the matter . Your daughter will know and I shall have a google . Good luck .
polly

pollyanna_26

Welcome Mancbird .
Apologies to Mrs LW for who rather than which .
polly

moneyistooshorttomention

I don't understand how a pharmacy could refuse to fill a prescription? Whichever way its presented - the doctor has said patient is to be given x, so they surely have no choice but to give the patient x don't they?

I cant see how they think they are entitled to an opinion on the matter - as they are in the position of a shop supplying goods that have been ordered and aren't allowed an opinion on it surely? Customer says (via doctor) and customer gets...end of..

greenbee

As far as I was aware, the GP is the one with the drugs budget, not the pharmacy, but that may have changed. If your GP says that's the drug HWK needs, the pharmacist is not in a position to challenge it. There are lots of reasons that specific drugs are prescribed to specific individuals.

I think some investigation and complaining may be in order.

Floss

I was about to say that AFAIK drugs budgets sit with GPs and not pharmacies. Are they part of a chain, or independent with maybe a locum pharmacist who doesn't know the customers?

[Deleted User]

Investigation and complaining have been done, the receptionist at the surgery then failed to ring back and let us know what the outcome was meaning we had to ring them again. Outcome is that the surgery have complied with the pharmacy THIS time and sent them an electronic prescription for this afternoon but offered He Who Knows a paper prescription for this particular drug from now on to enable us to 'shop around' other pharmacies to actually find the specific medication that is prescribed. Phew!!!!!

The pharmacy is part of a small group of 7 all relatively local to us and the pharmacist is the resident one for the village branch, we also checked with the larger branch next to the surgery and were denied there too. I'm appalled that they have this attitude, I worked in this shop and I know just how knit picky the overall manager can be when it comes to making money for the company!!!

moneyistooshorttomention

Doesn't that sound a bit more of a case of a particular pharmacy wants to have only a restricted choice of goods for sale - and one has to find a bigger pharmacy to have the full normal choice?

Sorta akin to its no good going to a corner shop and expecting a full choice of goods (they will be very limited by their size basically) and if I want the full range of goods available that I expect then I need to go to a large supermarket?

ivyleaf

It all sounds quite odd, Mrs LW; as others have said, I'd have thought the pharmacy had to supply what the doctor prescribed! Strange.

Well, I went to the dentist and unfortunately the cat decided to follow me :eek: He's sometimes started to follow me in the past, but usually stops when we get to the corner, sits down and waits to see if I'm going to come back. This time he followed me all the way!

The dental surgery is less than 5 minutes' walk, but it's on the busy main road :eek: When the receptionist buzzed the door open for me he walked in too! The staff were in raptures at how cute it was that he'd followed me.

I didn't dare leave him outside the surgery in case he got run over, so I had to rush back home with the cat tucked under one arm! I rang OH on the way, and he met me at the gate and I handed over the miscreant

ETA Oops, forgot to say hello and welcome to mancbird :hello:

pollyanna_26

Mrs LW Glad you have resolution this time . My daughter has some lifesaving meds and I understand your concerns . Our pharmacy is our branch of boots . My daughter has been registered there for many years . I politely but firmly challenged them - we have no problems from the surgery end . The senior pharmacy manager came downstairs to meet me . She sorted it out straightaway and gave me her dedicated phone number . They had had staff changes a few months earlier but a month later the entire staff bar one who actually did their job were gone and a new team in place . Things are back to normal now and hopefully will continue so . Oddly a while later I discovered a poster on another part of the forums had had an identical experience in the same pharmacy in the week we did , she complained and I've often wondered how many others did
I think a problem now is pharmacies are pushing products now -
Fitness advice etc which takes a pharmacist from the dispensary to the little room at the side .
polly

silvasava

Mrs L - the drugs budgets do lie with the surgery however I am wondering if there is a drive by the NHS to alert Doctors to a cheaper generic drug? Like everyone else I would assume if the drug is prescribed then that is the one that should be dispensed - but we are all aware of the costs of the NHS