Prescriptions - Kafka'esque nightmare or GPs on the take?

RANT!!!
Went to get my daughters repeat prescription today from the pharmacy attached to the GP surgery - been twice last week and they hadn't got round to it even though it was due a week ago. So they'd finally checked and found they didn't have the 20mg tablets she normally has, but they had 10mg - different manufacturer though.
Can I just have twice the amount in 10mg then? No, of course not, too easy, got to get the doctor to issue you with a paper prescription so you can go to a different pharmacy for the 20mg tablets.
Are you fkn kidding me?? due to your slowness she's already not had any medication for 3 days and now this...
I had to go back to the doctors put in a request, wait until after 4pm and go back. Went back at 4.30pm - oh its still not done - well get the bloody GP to do it please!! So, got a paper prescription and had to find another pharmacy to get the same tablet they had next door. Utter madness - the cynic in me says the GP is being "paid" to prescribe that manufacturers pills only, otherwise it just doesn't make sense.
RANT OVER!!!

 

Tbf, my gp surgery and pharmacy have always been spot on with my repeat prescriptions. Glad she's got the medication she needs now though.

 

Not their slowness mate it was their utter incompetence.
I find most chemists seem to think they are God at times.

 

Chances are you are right..
However, my current post transplant meds are very specific.. im only allowed to use the same manufacturer of anti reject meds as other brands can be made differently so can release in different ways, causing damage to the kidney...
So may not be the case, will be very item specific.. but yeah, chances are you are right.. other than that.. id be using a different pharmacy moving forward.

I personally request my GP send to morrisons pharmacy, who text me when ready. I can usually time this with the weekly shop, so my other half can pick it up on my behalf. (Shes got a photo of my prepaid 12monthly prescription thingy so she doesnt have to pay on my behalf, that would be harsh, especially for around 10 different pills).

 

Every pharmacy I've been in seems very poorly run. But unlike most businesses we all have little choice bit to keep going back.
Why does it take so long to serve people when they are only collecting prescriptions that are made up?
When you get a new prescription for some tablets for example why does it take the pharmacist so long to make it up only to fins they have taken a pack of say 50 tablets and cut 10 off to give you the 40 you have been prescribed?
To be clear most of the staff are polite and helpful and I'm just polite in return. But surely it could be better organised. I was in the other week and while I was waiting about 3 or 4 people csme to the door, saw the amount of people waiting and left. That can't be a good thing.
Mind you I needed a doctors appointment today so found myself in a large queue outside the practice this morning just to make sure I got one. Out of curiosity I started phoning the surgery at 8am. Took me 10 mins to get to the front. In that time I hadn't even managed to connect to the automated queueing system just got line busy. I know people who only get a 20 min break. They basically need to take a day off if they want to see (well not see) a GP.

 

I wonder when we're going to be allowed to admit how bad many facets of the NHS, and the extended ecosystem of it are post-lockdown?

 

My eldest son was born in 2010 - the year of the coalition. Having had to use the NHS since then and for his brother I can tell you the decline in those 12 years has been very evident.
When I hear Americans talk about health care I'm very proud of the NHS but that doesn't mean it couldn't be run a lot better. I don't expect that anytime soon though as our ever changing governments constantly change policies and what the Health service really needs is long term planning.

 

Maybe they'd gone for their Methadone?

 

That doesn't make sense. A GP would never write up a script for a brand name. They prescribe the drug itself i.e. fluoxetine, not the brand name (Prozac).

 

I know they CAN be brand agnostic but then why not let her have the other manufacturers 10mg tablets? I get that if people are only on 10mg and you sell all the 10mg tablets and you have 20 mg tablets it’s a bit much to ask people to chop them In half or something but that fact is they didn’t have 20mg tablets they had 10mg tablets and they had someone right now who needed them.

 

That sounds more like a pharmacy issue than the GP. What are the meds?

Pharmacy2u are worth registering with. You get it sent to your door for free, no pissing about. They post mine through the letterbox and send me a email when its next due. Never had any problems.