Elite 11+ shopping and chat thread

davemorton

Serendipitious wrote: »

It says on mine 'An NHS service provided free of charge for people who get free prescriptions and for no more than the cost of the prescription charge if you pay.'

Mostly I think with minor ailments, people go to the GP because they want the actual diagnosis. So by getting the pharmacist to diagnose, they can access either a prescription or a cheaper OTC version on the spot. The pharmacist would presumably nudge them towards an OTC remedy if it were cheaper.

I can see the sense in it - especially with rashes, which need the right diagnosis to establish the correct creams.

Only issue I can see with this is if a pharmacist misses an underlying problem, and only diagnoses the obvious.

Serendipitious

davemorton wrote: »

I know, that really grieves me. I feel like buying boxes of it and leaving it outside the docs, but I might get into trouble, You would think the pharmacist would comment, but I expect they cant. Perhaps the government should drop supplies off at docs to give out for free, dunno.

Painkillers can be extremely expensive in other countries - I seem to remember reading about someone from Switzerland stocking up on Ibuprofen whilst over here as the savings offset the cost of his flights. :eek:

TrulyMadly

Serendipitious wrote: »

It says on mine 'An NHS service provided free of charge for people who get free prescriptions and for no more than the cost of the prescription charge if you pay.'

Mostly I think with minor ailments, people go to the GP because they want the actual diagnosis. So by getting the pharmacist to diagnose, they can access either a prescription or a cheaper OTC version on the spot. The pharmacist would presumably nudge them towards an OTC remedy if it were cheaper.

I can see the sense in it - especially with rashes, which need the right diagnosis to establish the correct creams.

Good for things like Calpol, teething powder, head lice treatment

Sunshinemummy

Has anyone rang NHS direct? They appear to have a policy of sending everyone to A&E!

Serendipitious

Apparently it covers all this :

acne
•athlete's foot
•conjunctivitis
•cystitis
dental pain
•dermatitis/eczema
•diarrhoea
•gout
•haemorrhoids (piles)
•hay fever
•head lice
•impetigo
•indigestion/heartburn
•migraine
•oral thrush
•scabies
temperature
•threadworm
•vaginal thrush

hornetgirl

davemorton wrote: »

I know, that really grieves me. I feel like buying boxes of it and leaving it outside the docs, but I might get into trouble, You would think the pharmacist would comment, but I expect they cant. Perhaps the government should drop supplies off at docs to give out for free, dunno.

I have (had - he's just retired ) a fab GP. if I had a prescription for something which was also available OTC he would always tell me to check with the pharmacist first which way was cheaper. Once he gave me two prescriptions for the same (non otc) thing, one NHS and one private, and told me again to ask which would be cheaper. Such a shame he's retired, he'd been my GP for over 30 years. The last thing he did for me was my expedited oncology referral. I've now changed surgery to be at the same one as DH.

Serendipitious

Sunshinemummy wrote: »

Has anyone rang NHS direct? They appear to have a policy of sending everyone to A&E!

If that is 111, I rang it once for someone else, I was on there for ages and ages, and then had to wait for a callback. Took several hours.

Sunshinemummy

Enterprise_1701C wrote: »

I think this is best idea anyone has come up with for A&E in a long time:

At St George’s University hospital in south-west London, we’ve developed an innovative service that puts GPs at the forefront of making sure patients are seen by the right service. The triage and redirection system was developed collaboratively by Care UK (which funds the service and employs the GPs running it), A&E consultants at the trust and Wandsworth clinical commissioning group. So far the system has proved to be safe, effective and well-liked by patients.

That sounds good x

Serendipitious wrote: »

Apparently it covers all this :

acne
•athlete's foot
•conjunctivitis
•cystitis
dental pain
•dermatitis/eczema
•diarrhoea
•gout
•haemorrhoids (piles)
•hay fever
•head lice
•impetigo
•indigestion/heartburn
•migraine
•oral thrush
•scabies
temperature
•threadworm
•vaginal thrush

I love a list.... but this is a bit :eek:

Sunshinemummy

Serendipitious wrote: »

If that is 111, I rang it once for someone else, I was on there for ages and ages, and then had to wait for a callback. Took several hours.

Sounds right.... either ambulance, A&E or long wait!

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Serendipitious

Sunshinemummy wrote: »

I love a list.... but this is a bit :eek:

I know, I did wonder whether to post it or not.

But, when you think that the ten people ahead of you in the waiting room at the doc's might probably be there for something on that list, which they could nip in and ask a pharmacist about, it starts to make a lot more sense.

They could all go and queue in the pharmacy instead...