Delays In Getting Repeat Prescriptions

[wiltsman]

I went up to the village's Lloyds Chemist around 5.30pm this evening to collect a repeat prescription that I sent through on-line to the surgery on Sunday.

Previously, this would mean allowing two working days to for it to flow through the system and I would generally leave it until just before closing time on the Wednesday to collect, effectively three working days.

Tonight however, my prescription wasn't ready, and I was handed a leaflet which showed that in future, any repeat prescription requests received at the surgery on a Monday would not be available until the Friday. Even worse, any request received at the surgery between a Tuesday and a Friday will now take six days before they can be collected.

Am I wrong in thinking why, in this age of computerisation, it now takes twice as long to process repeat prescriptions as it did a few years back?

Maybe what I have described is the norm. Can anyone tell me, how long they have to wait for a repeat prescription?

[Sqad]

Not much help I am afraid, but here in Spain we have a card, like a credit card with all the medication on a microchip. This can be taken to any chemist in Spain and the drugs dispensed immediately without going to the GP.

General Practice in the UK is in freefall and has been for a decade or more.

[Buenchico]

Here's the policy at our local pharmacy (which forms part of the doctors' surgery complex):
http://www.needhamsurgery.co.uk/prescriptions1.aspx?p=D83017

[Tilly2]

Wiltsman, LLoyds do a repeat prescription service which means that they order the prescription for you and you just go and collect it on a given date. Ask them about this when you next go in.

I have a repeat prescription for Levothyroxine and I never have to put in a repeat prescription request at the doctors.

[Buenchico]

^^^ Correction. That's for the dispensary, which is part of the doctors' surgery complex but separate to the actual pharmacy (which is also on the same site). People are always going to the wrong place!

[237SJ]

I just leave a batch of prescriptions at the local Boots and they order more for me without my having any input and they are ready and waiting when my previous prescription runs out. They are really efficient.

[Baldric]

We normally collect our 'scripts 2 or 3 days before the previous one runs out, we have a card on which the chemist writes date the next one is due, like we need a reminder, and hits her keyboard for 20-30 seconds.
They have never not been available when we have gone to collect.

[Cloverjo]

At my local surgery, a request made on Monday before 2pm can be picked up from the surgery on Wed or pharmacy on Thursday after 4pm.
If it's not ready, the pharmacy will usually do it while I wait.

I think even this seems too long, so 6 days seems ridiculous. Is there another pharmacy local to you which can do it quicker?

[Tilly2]

The days of having to faff about at the doctor's, collecting repeat prescriptions and taking them to the chemist's, are long gone.

[janzman]

My pharmacy is a little longer. Repeat prescriptions are put in a 'post box' and a card stuck above tells us when it will be available. Last Thursday I put in a repeat and the card said available Tuesday pm ie today, not available, chemist closed Wedneday pm so I must wait till Thursday pm to collect. Pretty bad I think you'll agree.

[janzman]

>ie today.... should read yesterday

[wiltsman]

This is a copy of the leaflet, issued by Lloyds Pharmacy, I was given tonight.

Dear Patient

Please see above a timetable showing when you should expect your repeat prescription items to be ready for collection from the pharmacy based on when you request them.

While both the surgery and the pharmacy team understand that there are occasions when things may be required urgently, both teams must ask that the above timetable is adhered to by all patients, doing so will enable us to provide a better standard of care to all patients using the surgery and the pharmacy.

Any patient who requires prescription items within the same week but misses the Monday order deadline should speak to the pharmacy to arrange this.

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

LloydsPharmacy
-------------------------------------------------

The timetable referred to above shows the progress of repeat prescriptions going through the system.

As an example extracted from it, I show what happens when a repeat order is requested on a Wednesday:

Prescription requested at the Surgery on WEDNESDAY

Prescription transferred to the Pharmacy on FRIDAY

Ready to collect (in normal circumstances) on TUESDAY

[trt]

I'm same as Tilly, and I get them delivered.

Sqad, if you lost or your card was stolen, could it be used by others?

[ummmm]

1 day. Order it at the GP and they send the order to the chemist except sometimes the GP asks for a checkup.

[Smowball]

Our is always 48 hours then they fax it to my chemist.

[Prudie]

48 hours max at my surgery.

[wiltsman]

It seems so many surgeries/pharmacies have different systems in dealing with repeat prescriptions. Thank you for your replies. I might take up Tilly's suggestion as I use a Lloyds Pharmacy.
Cloverjo - I live in a village with just the one pharmacy, there is no other pharmacy in the locality to swap to.

[mikey4444]

Wilty....I too rely on repeat prescription, but as I live some distance some distance from the Surgery. My Doctor sends me a Scrip by post. I then take this into the local Chemist and either wait half an hour, or go into the Library next door and waste 30 mins.

Very occasionally, I might have to return the next day, if an item is low, but that is as worse as it gets.

Perhaps we do things differently here in Wales !

[Tilly2]

Thank you Wiltsman. Good luck with LLoyds.

[whiskeryron]

Here in Herefordshire, email Pharmacy this morning-- ready to collect tomorrow (24 hours)

[silliemillie]

Mine is getting worse, it used to be at the Chemist 48 hours after putting in a repeat script but I've noticed it's getting longer, tried to get mine today a week after putting in but it's still not there.