GP refuses to deal with online pharmacies

unforeseen

V1m_Fuego said:

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.

How does the online doctor get hold of your medical records to ensure the prescription is correct for you? 

Mnoee

V1m_Fuego said:

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.

That hugely depends on what medication you need. They deal with a few conditions, but not much use if yours isn't on the list. 

DisablednProud

Is this legally allowed? Surely the patient has the right to choose?

unforeseen

V1m_Fuego said:

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.

It was £9.15 per month through your GP because some CCGs (mine is one of them) stipulate that only one month at a time can be issued, for various reasons.

It would be interested to know if the online doctors are part of any CCG? 

Undervalued

V1m_Fuego said:

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.

The reverse can also happen if the medication you are prescribed is expensive. 

Also there are limits as to what a doctor can (or will) authorise on this type of service. Yes, in some situations it can give a significant saving but not always.

It is also always worth checking if the if the medicine you have been prescribed can be bought without a prescription (maybe under a pharmacist's supervision). Some things can, in certain cases at a lower strength. Then do the sums to see if it is cheaper, even if you have to take a higher number of lower strength pills.

General_Grant

unforeseen said:

V1m_Fuego said:

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.

It was £9.15 per month through your GP because some CCGs (mine is one of them) stipulate that only one month at a time can be issued, for various reasons.

It would be interested to know if the online doctors are part of any CCG? 

My CCG stipulates two month maximum even when the national guidance says three months for medication for my condition.  I raised this with the GP most recently because of Covid and visits to the pharmacy and requested 3 months' supply - still received 2 months' supply.

ElizabethBaldwin

DisablednProud said:

Is this legally allowed? Surely the patient has the right to choose?

You would think so, wouldn’t you but I’m not sure. NHS England has referred it to my CCG but whether they’ll respond is another matter. According to the watchdog, they themselves require improvement. I will chase NHS England if I’ve heard nothing by the end of the week

ElizabethBaldwin

General_Grant said:

I raised this with the GP most recently because of Covid and visits to the pharmacy and requested 3 months' supply - still received 2 months' supply.

So much for the NHS helping us to stay home and protect the NHS eh?

ElizabethBaldwin

V1m_Fuego said:

Just use superdrug online doctor.

I am exempt but I looked into it anyway. My meds would cost about four times more even if I had to pay for them from my GP

George_Michael

It look like a doctor can't legally refuse to allow a patient to nominate a high street pharmacy but they don't have to agree to send the prescription to an online outlet.
Prescription direction to certain pharmacies (bma.org.uk)

Patients have a free choice between any community pharmacy and a GP dispensary.

This makes for interesting reading:
Financial and commercial arrangements and conflicts of interest (gmc-uk.org)

15 You must not try to influence patients’ choice of healthcare services to benefit you, someone close to you, or your employer. If your organisation dispenses medicines, you must not allow your financial or commercial interests to affect the way you prescribe. 

And there's this as well:
Direction of prescriptions : PSNC Main site

In April 2005, the National Health Service (Primary Medical Services) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 came into force which stipulate that when operating the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), a prescriber must not seek to persuade a patient to nominate a dispenser recommended by the prescriber. The regulations also state that, if asked to recommend a chemist, the prescriber is to provide a list of all chemists in the area that operate EPS, as provided by the local NHS England Team (this provision is continued by the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015 – see Regulation 58 (4)).