Electronic Prescription Service PROBLEMS

AMJF

I will keep this simple: I needed a prescription and I tried the EPS system for the first time, and because I was late with my order and was impatient with stock order delays and was worried about withdrawal from lack of the medication, I got a token to go to some other surgery but ran into problems that way, but now I want to cancel my online prescription altogether and go back to the traditional paper form for the green slip. How do I do that?

Devongardener

I doubt your GP surgery will go back to paper prescriptions but it’s worth asking, I think they are only issued in rare circumstances.
If you are having problems with a particular pharmacy you can nominate a different one, but don’t use any of the postal pharmacies because you are at the mercy of the erratic post deliveries, as I found out, it sometimes took 2 weeks.
I had to try a couple of local pharmacies before opting for Boots which is efficient and reliable. The worst one, part of the Wells group,actually had the meds processed in a central facility somewhere hundreds of miles away so that was another delay waiting for the batches to be delivered.
My meds are time critical too and the trick is to order when you have 10 to 14 days of meds left.

AMJF

My medication history has been more or less straightforward the last several years, I was with Lloyds Pharmacy in my local area which served me well with repeat prescriptions and the medications guaranteed every month for many years, but then Lloyds Pharmacy went bust, probably around the time of COVID, and another one took its place, Jhoots Pharmacy, which looked much more like an amateur operation and only ever looked temporary. Then it went bust. In all this time it was green prescription slips that had been the norm for decades.

Then I had to manually fill in a paper slip at my local health centre, wait a bit, and receive the green prescription slip as usual, went to another pharmacy, medication there as usual, just a very short wait.

This time, I try the Electronic Prescription Service for my next prescription of my medication and have the last pharmacy I use as the nominated one. I write all my related details into an email and send it. The next day, I go to the pharmacy, but they don't have the item in stock. Neither does another pharmacy (Boots). In fact, all of a sudden, my medication which was available everywhere without fail is suddenly scarce, the very WEEK I go for EPS. And what's worse, Boots can't order new stock, as if the medication itself is being phased out (Sulpiride 200mg).

Why is this shortage suddenly happening? Is it just coincidence, or is it because Sulpiride 200mg is not available on EPS? In any case, I've been without it now for days, and have to wait to see if the GP will find this fabled Sulpiride 400mg I've heard all about and assign it to my future prescriptions.