By-passing local Pharmacy using an electronic prescription service

andromedean

I'm rather tired of ordering prescription medicines via my local Pharmacy. Sometimes I can wait in a queue for ages only to find they haven't received half the drugs yet, or even sent out the order due to some admin error!

Today, I received a leaflet from Pharmacy2U who claim to by-pass the Pharmacy altogether.

1. they remind you when your supply is due to run out,
   
2. you then ask them to contact your Doctor, who sends out the prescription to them,
   
3. they send the medicines by post to your door free of postage. They will also send it to a local Pharmacy if instructed, although I can't see the point of this.

Has anyone used this type of service? How reliable or convenient is it?

Linda32

Yes I've used them quite a few times.

When I used them you set up what you need on their website as per your prescription.

Say if the GP give you 60 paracetamol (for example) you order these on Pharmacy2u website.

They arrive in the post after about 5 days.

After that, you just click on the item and then the tablets arrive just the same.

I think if I remember I only went back to ordering through our surgery when they introduced on-line ordering. So I order through them. 2 working days later I pick up from the pharmacy. I only need one item and it is always in stock.

Sncjw

I use echo and they have an app. Although I have forgotten to use it lately due to post man nearly breaking our letter box

teddysmum

Boots service works in a very similar manner for me.


They hold my repeat prescription which I can alter any time up to they call to ask me when I want delivery. My GP registered them as my dispensers , so every 28 days Boots send an electronic request and receive a prescription next day.


As Tramadol is controlled they have to send someone in to hand deliver a request then collect a printed prescription next day, but this fits in with their daily collection and delivery visits.


The advantage is that if they or I (happened last week) make a mistake an emergency request can be made for an item which is dispensed next day.

System

My own chemist offers this service and i use it. Ive not had any problems with it and a 3 monthly supply is delivered to my door. Works out very well for me.

bubbs

teddysmum wrote: »

Boots service works in a very similar manner for me.


They hold my repeat prescription which I can alter any time up to they call to ask me when I want delivery. My GP registered them as my dispensers , so every 28 days Boots send an electronic request and receive a prescription next day.


As Tramadol is controlled they have to send someone in to hand deliver a request then collect a printed prescription next day, but this fits in with their daily collection and delivery visits.


The advantage is that if they or I (happened last week) make a mistake an emergency request can be made for an item which is dispensed next day.

I use boots too and they text me when my script is ready, so just go down and collect then tick what you want next time :T

andromedean

I might ask my local Chemist HA McParland who hold my repeat prescription if they do this, it all seems a bit pointless ordering medicines at regular intervals, if they could be delivered automatically. What's annoying is that they must know I need them, yet fail to get sufficient stock in, in time.

Actually they seem to do it according to this, but I have asked them before.

https://www.hamcparland.co.uk/prescriptions

Perhaps this is the catch, FREE UK DELIVERY on orders over £40.

Are the other completely free irrespective of the amount? Unfortunately, My GP has started to issue prescriptions only when the medication is due to run out, so it'll be one at a time.

sheramber

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/829082/Pharmacy2U-repeat-prescriptions-NHS-P2U-Leeds-direct-mail

https://www.digitalhealth.net/2017/07/pharmacy2u-found-unsafe-and-ineffective-by-cqc/

Lavendyr

I use Echo too - works well for repeat prescriptions, free and speedy delivery.

andromedean

From that Express link:

Joseph Sinclair, a managing director from Edgware, north London, said he signed up to P2U after seeing an advertisement in 2015.

He said: “At first I thought it was fantastic. They reminded me when my medicines needed to be reordered and the medicines came through the letter box. Suddenly the medicines stopped coming.

“I couldn’t get a satisfactory reply as to why – they just said they were out of stock. They kept making excuses and promised the medicines would be sent but they weren’t. I had to go back to my local pharmacy to get my prescription filled.

It's the sort of thing I was frightened of, since reliability is essential if waiting until the last minute! GPs now want to write the prescription just as it's running out which is disastrous without 100% reliability

This was also in the Express as well:

Chemists are set to charge for home deliveries due to cuts

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/890320/pharmacy-home-deliveries-set-to-charge

[Deleted User]

andromedean wrote: »

Today, I received a leaflet from Pharmacy2U who claim to by-pass the Pharmacy altogether.

I had one of those too. I'm not keen, because it's not clear which date your PPC has to be valid: the date you request, the date the DR prescribes, the date it's dispatched, or the date it's received.

They kept making excuses and promised the medicines would be sent but they weren’t.

I've just had that with the surgery. It took an hour and a half of phone calls and 8 miles of trips to the chemist before I finally got my meds a fortnight after the previous lot ran out.