mc2fool wrote:Bminusrob wrote:A cautionary tale. Some years ago, I had a repeat prescription, which my local surgery usually managed to cock up in some way, so I started using Boots online repeat prescription service. It was excellent, and I have no complaints about Boots.
However, after a year or so, I because quite ill. I visited my doctor, who said I had a serious urinary infection (which turned out to be a side-affect of cancer), and needed anti-biotics. I was sent back to the waiting room to wait for my prescription, feeling very very unwell. After an hour or so, and no sign of my prescription, I went to the desk to ask how long I would have to wait, having seen quite a few people who arrived after me leave with their prescriptions. The witch on the desk took great delight in telling me that because I use a repeat prescription service, they wouldn't dispense my prescription, but I would have to go to Boots to collect it. I did eventually get the prescription from the surgery, saving a 15 mile round trip to Boots, but it took a lot of effort, which I didn't really feel like wasting at the time.
Hmmmm ... not great ... I don't know if my or other practices have the same policy ...
But I am a little puzzled, firstly 'cos you appear to be saying that your GP practice actually dispenses the meds? Is your practice also a pharmacy?
Also puzzled by, if so, why you'd be set up for repeat meds from a chemist that's 7.5 miles away? Or have I totally misread/misunderstood?!?
Let me first say that I am no longer with this surgery, and fortunately, I no longer need single or repeat prescriptions.
The GP practice in question did also dispense medicines. Quite common in the area. The procedure was that you have to deliver the prescription form to the surgery during working hours, and five working days later, collect your precsription, again, during working hours. Or, that's the theory. On numerous occasions, five, six or more (working) days after delivering the prescription form, the medicine was not available for collection. When I needed a repeat prescription every two weeks, as was the case the whole time is needed this prescription, this became more than a little pain.
The Boots repeat prescription service worked particularly well for me, because the branch of Boots I used was only a miles or so from where I worked, so I could easily pick up the prescription during my lunch break pr on my way home from work. The GP surgery was in the village where I lived, six miles from work, so I had to arrive late at work, or leave early in order (a) to deliver the repeat prescription form, (b) to collect the prescription, and (c) to really collect it after it wasn't available when it should have been.