Confusing Message on NHS App

[Alaric]

This message comes up after you request a prescription.

Once they approve your prescription, you'll need to collect it from your GP surgery.

I don't know what "it" they think you need to collect, but do they mean the signed off paper or the drugs themselves? They don't mean either when you have a nominated pharmacy as "collect from surgery" is redundant.

[bungeejumper]

Is this a new prescription, for something that isn't on your regular items list? (I'm assuming you have one of those. Maybe not?....) I have a regular pharmacy where I collect, and it gets my regular prescriptions electronically - but when I needed a one-off shot of something unusual a few years ago (strong codeine), they bypassed that and issued the one-off paper prescription separately from the surgery.

Personally, I'd assume that they mean the prescription will be handed to you at the surgery, so that you can then take it to a pharmacy. But what the heck, if the surgery can also dispense the drugs, then that'll save you a walk.

Easiest of all (perhaps ) would be to phone the surgery and ask?

BJ

[Alaric]

Is this a new prescription, for something that isn't on your regular items list?
Easiest of all (perhaps ) would be to phone the surgery and ask?

Not new at all. Phoning surgeries is no longer an easy solution, if it ever was.

It just seems a random and irrelevant comment when the system of using a designated pharmacy is long established.

[tjh290633]

Our practice uses SystmOnline, which tells you when and where you can collect your prescription. It knows your designated pharmacy or how you get your prescription from the health centre.

I have never bothered to use the NHS app to order a prescription and see no reason to do so

TJH

[bungeejumper]

Our practice uses SystmOnline, which tells you when and where you can collect your prescription. It knows your designated pharmacy or how you get your prescription from the health centre.

I have never bothered to use the NHS app to order a prescription and see no reason to do so.

Indeed. It seems from previous discussions that different surgeries in different parts of the country use different ordering systems.

My doctor's SystmOnline doesn't let me order a prescription (or arrange an appointment - that has to be done by phone.) Instead, my prescription orders are all handled online by my usual pharmacy, which communicates directly with my surgery. Er, except when it makes a mistake and loses an order, which sadly is not infrequent.

The bottom line is that the NHS app presumably has to find wordings that will work for all these different systems.In the OP's case, it seems to have introduced an ambiguity. Joined-up NHS? Not yet!

And another thing. How do I stop them from sending important appointment notifications to my mobile, when we haven't got a signal at our house? Harrumph!

BJ

[Arborbridge]

That's a strange message. Here, I just order using the NHS app and then the medicines are ready to collect from the pharmacy a couple of days later.

My own gripe: in the past month or two, the nanny-state computer will not allow the app to show presciption items unless they are due. It never was thus, which meant if I go on a long trip, I can order up early, or hold a month's supply in stock to stop an accidental shortage at a weekend. I've never known the GP veto any of my requests.

Now, I shall have to make a special request for supplies for a long trip and doing so is an unecessary hassle. Before being able to order through the app, I had to make arrangements by phone to pick up in some far flung place, and since I would be sailing with others, that was always rather unpredictable.

Arb.

[Alaric]

Indeed. It seems from previous discussions that different surgeries in different parts of the country use different ordering systems.

My surgery was previously using a system called "Patient Access" and made a right pigs ear of it when they migrated away to the NHS App. There was a simple set of inastructions that enabled existing users to migrate. but they failed to give this adequate publicity. An inabiliy to request repeat prescriptions made for a hostile story in the local press and the hapless practice manager was very defensive about it.


You can use the NHS App as a website on a PC which is just as well for those of us who prefer a decent sized screen and proper keyboard.