Again the NHS
I pick up a prescription once a month from my doctor. I go to various pharmacists as I move around in my job so I don't have an arrangment with any paticular one. When they recently noticed I am basically 'repeating' my prescription they invited me to join a scheme which would 'save me time'. I asked for details, the crux of which are that I'd have to come to the surgery(actually into it) TWICE, to get my prescription. I go there once at the moment, just to pick it up. When I asked why I'd like to do twice as much for the same thing, they were stumped, then tried to say it was 'easier'.

Easier would be never EVER having to talk to a doctors receptionist. Where do they find them?!?!?

What the Tories are suggesting for the NHS is wrong, plain wrong. But I do understand where that frustration with it has come from. The inability to think things through and change is so so so annoying.
(skgorsky, Mon 27 Feb 2012, 10:25, 6 replies)

Was the scheme something along the lines
of enabling you to collect your medication from the surgery, rather than a pharmacy?
If so, that probably would make things easier for a lot of people (your unique travel arrangements notwithstanding).

Also, local arrangements created by GP practices are most likely not NHS decisions, what the GP practices being private enterprises.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 27 Feb 2012, 10:33, closed)

No, just the piece of paper. I'd still have to go to pharmacy. Essentially they were removing my ability to call them and say 'I need drugs', replacing it with me going into the surgery and saying 'I need drugs'.
(skgorsky, Mon 27 Feb 2012, 11:00, closed)

Ah.
In which case, they're bloody stupid. That said, there does seem to be a drive towards making it harder to get things on repeat. Probably hoping that we'll save them some cash by dying off.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 27 Feb 2012, 11:05, closed)

My surgery has just put in some online system
which allows you to request repeats, and they be sent directly to the local pharmacy of your choice within 48hrs. As the local Tesco has a pharmacy open until 10pm I consider this to be full of win.
( M3rx likes the Asian ladies, Mon 27 Feb 2012, 11:15, closed)

I don't see why for a small charge you can't have them posted out to the addressed registered with your GP

And I totally agree with the sentiment that the government proposals for reform are madness. Reform does need to be made, but the problem I have is that I consider GPs to be the WORST bit of the NHS. They act as gate keepers to the services you need. You get a crap GP, no treatment for you!

Mine and Mrs D's recent experiences with our local surgery has been one of contradicting advice amongst their own GPs, them prescribing treatment whilst admitting they didn't really know much about this sort of thing, we caught them looking things up on wikipedia whilst we were talking to them, and then having to talk to a nurse about test results rather than someone better qualified.

Whilst the NHS had all the experts we needed to talk to we ended up having to go through private medical insurance to access them. Madness.
( Draconacticus Reject shampoo. Demand real poo!, Mon 27 Feb 2012, 12:34, closed)

I get this as well
Very "useful" people at Boots pointing out that I can save myself a trip by ordering the repeat stright to the pharmacy. Me pointing out that the medicines they've just given me require a blood test every 6 weeks (as they remind me. Every time.), I have a prescription that lasts 12, and the pharmacy is about 100m from the doctors.

Mind you, I've also been told to take my (somewhat liver-destroying even on a normal dose) medication daily rather than weekly, so it's a good job I just tune them out to be honest... (admittedly, she did correct herself almost immediately.

I also have my doctor's email (from some test results that were massively late and coming in over the holidays a couple years ago), so I can just send him a message and he'll add it to the pile for the repeats. Which is awesome.

On the other hand, using the repeat prescription system is a lot better for most people, since if your surgery isn't too far out of the way, you just need to be in for a minute or so (and can pop in on your way somewhere), rather than waiting for a doctor to be free to sign off the prescription/booking an (invariably late) appointment.
( Tedium Alduce me to interlow myself., Mon 27 Feb 2012, 17:10, closed)