Private prescriptions

modestbasin

Thank you lr1277, that's brilliant advice.

I do love the delightful innocence of those suggesting I ring the pharmacies - presumably they also go to farmhouses asking for sides of ham and ginger beer! At least no one is so out of touch that they've suggested trying to get a GP appointment.

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81888231#Comment_81888231

I ring my local pharmacy regularly, to check my repeat prescription is ready. Ditto my partner with another local pharmacy.

Neither is Boots.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81888231#Comment_81888231

many have a dedicated line or IVR to get to the pharmacy so no you won't be asking the bakery what their price for Lenmeldy. Alternatively there is email or visiting in person if you prefer.

Ultimately any pharmacy will do it and it's up to you if you want to give your business to your favourite pharmacy, your most convenient one or spend some time to find a cheaper one. I only pointed out the variance in price because you may not realise it's not standardised so can vary massively.

lr1277

Ideally your private consultant should write a report with a copy for you and another copy for the GP every time you visit the consultant.

My GP surgery has a dedicated email address for consultants to contact them. Once the GP know you are seeing that particular private consultant, it makes things smoother if your private consultant wants your GP to carry out further investigation or prescribe drugs on the NHS. Between them the cosultant and GP will decide on the priority to assign to these tasks.

Suggest you find out from your GP's surgery how your consultant should communicate with them then let your consultant know.

MyRealNameToo

The consultant will ask your permission to share the details with your GP, you dont have to consent but it's advisable. In our case the consultant just sends the same letter to us and to the GP. Our GP rarely/never comments on them or does anything off their own back from them but thats the same with the NHS consultant letters they also receive.

35har1old

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81887248#Comment_81887248

Given a private prescription by the dentist pharmacist sold over the counter rather than use the private script..

Some pharmacist can write there own NHS prescriptions for certain conditions.

modestbasin

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81888679#Comment_81888679

Yes, this is the same for me. The consultant and surgeon both work out of NHS hospitals so can send documents to my GP over the NHS internal network. Except that sometimes, for reasons I don't understand (my guess is when they're working from home or Harley St), they decide to use Royal Mail post instead. Either way the GP never reads or takes the action requested in the letter unless prompted by me. These are people who are supposed to be senior professionals and yet they need micro-managing.

Anyway, back to the original reason for the post. It looks like Tesco (we don't have any independent pharmacies here, the good local one closed just after Covid) charges the £9.90 NHS price for anything that's cheaper privately than an NHS item would be, and cost+ for anything over that. This actually works out well for me, because I can get a longer supply for the same price as the NHS.

Or would if they'd accept the private prescription, which they won't because it's not written on the right piece of paper.

4 days to get this sorted until I'm camping on the floor at A&E.

MyRealNameToo

One of our private prescriptions was issued digitally… that was fun. For whatever reason though they send two different set of instructions, one for Boots and one for any other UK pharmacy… slightly different URL and slightly different input fields.

On the one hand it's great they've taken the time to speak to pharmacies and have taken the effort to accommodate some special request from Boots but a bit of faff having two sets of instructions. I thought it would be a bit of a pain, clearly the Boots pharmacist had never used the system before but they followed the instructions without any issues and then just overcharged me :)

Have you spoken to your GP about volume? GPs are encouraged to only issue a months supply at a time but often can be persuaded to issue 3 months for long term stable conditions. If you are getting lots of prescriptions then a NHS pre-pay can be a better option. I've been eligible for medical exemption for life (though no one told me until I was 28) but even still have managed to align all my meds to a single quarterly prescription for chronic conditions to avoid multiple prescriptions

Ms_Chocaholic

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81888231#Comment_81888231

I am prescribed eye gel that is often out of stock in various pharmacies, I do need to use this every day and it's not unheard of for me to ring 30 pharmacies locally to check stock, I often do find it too so it works.

Murphybear

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81887578#Comment_81887578

we try and ring Boots to find out if our prescriptions are ready. They are so busy the phone just rings and rings and rings.