GP refuses to deal with online pharmacies

sheramber

ElizabethBaldwin said:

Sheramber
We don't all live in towns with a chemist on the high street. With online pharmacies you don’t need to - you don’t understand the concept, do you?

I understand fully having used a dispensing aGP for many years.
I was replying to JJ Egan who did not seem to comprehend why a GP would dispense prescriptions.

hb2

I've used Echo (Lloyds online) for a few years and have been really happy with them. The nearest pharmacy to my GP (which also happens to be a Lloyds) has limited opening hours and charges for local delivery. I would find it a real pain if I were forced to start using bricks and mortar pharmacies, especially at the moment.

OP, I second the advice to contact your local CCG and see what their take is on this.

molerat

Dispensing is a licence to print money, that is why the surgery don't want to give the prescriptions to someone else.  I remember chatting to the local Boots manager once and he said that dispensing kept the whole large shop afloat, that is why they fought tooth and nail to get a dispensary in almost every store they opened.

ElizabethBaldwin

Molerat - it’s so nice to hear from someone who knows what the score is! It makes my blood boil though - I reckon my new GP surgery has a real nerve enjoining us to stay home and protect the NHS when they are forcing us to leave home and congregate on their premises in the interests of their own profit! I am going to have to move surgery to one further away because this feels such a backwards step, especially now!!

ElizabethBaldwin

Olgadapolga & hb2 - I have contacted NHS England which has referred the matter to my CCG. Thanks for the advice!

V1m_Fuego

I used superdrug online doctor, and really pleased.  My GP was stingy handing out only 1 month prescription (£9.15) for tablets inknow are about 90p a pack (you can find out how much NHS pay for drugs).
I got 6 month supply for £24.  Didn't need to even involve my GP, they have theor own GP.  If you know what you need, answer a few questions.  Drugs turned up by post 2 days later.  Superb.

GraceCourt

Hmm.  There's a lot of misunderstanding on this thread.

GP practices don't "send prescriptions to the pharmacy".  They use whichever particular clinical system they use in-house (a lot use EMIS, from Egton Medical Information Systems Limited) to upload the prescription to the NHS "Spine" using EPS2, from where it can be downloaded by your "nominated pharmacy" and dispensed.  Usually, this is done sporadically through the working day so that the item is ready for your collection when you call in.

There is indeed the potential for a lot of waste when the pharmacy gets a patient's permission to request prescriptions on his or her behalf, because then the prescription is obtained and dispensed even if it's not actually required... for anyone with a chronic condition, it's less likely to happen if they are taking the medication on a long-term basis at the prescribed dose, but not everyone does, and many elderly people end up with boxes and boxes of unused and out-of-date medication.

It's worth knowing that any pharmacy in England - not just the nominated pharmacy - can in theory pull down your EPS2 prescription  from the NHS Spine (it's not possible in Wales and Scotland for technical reasons and prescriptions are free there anyway) in an emergency, but often the pharmacist doesn't know how to do it, even if you know your NHS number, which most people don't.  You might for obvious reasons be asked to prove your identity in such cases.

ElizabethBaldwin

GraceCourt - I don’t understand your point. With my previous GP I requested my prescriptions via Pharmacy2u (an online pharmacy) which could not send me the meds until my GP approved them. My new (dispensing) GP refuses to deal with online pharmacies so Pharmacy2u can no longer supply me and I can only either collect my meds or the prescriptions for them from my GP. Are you saying there is a way Pharmacy2u can still supply me without my new GP’s cooperation (Pharmacy2u says there isn’t)?

pmduk

I have to say I found Pharmacy 2U to be more trouble than they were worth, constantly stating inaccuracies. AIUI, under the terms of the latest GP contract your GP is expected to be signed up to EPS, it should be nothing to do with him who dispenses your medication. Personally, I'd switch GPS again, if at all possible,. 

V1m_Fuego

Just use superdrug online doctor. They have their own GPs and it cuts out the need for yours to approve. If you know the meds you need, you can go direct.  I saved a tonne of cash. 6 months of meds for £24 delivered.  It was £9.15 a month via my GP.   Exactly the same medication.