General Chat

Can hardly believe that our hopeless village pharmacy came good today. Maybe it’s because so many are now going elsewhere.

Not sure what is going on with our prescriptions :-S

Our system requires a repeat prescription request is posted by patient into a designated area in the GP's entrance lobby.
After it is signed off, the request is sent off electronically to whichever chemist we have requested and we can collect the medication a few days later.
The distance between GP and my chosen chemist must be less than 50 yards.

Last weekend, for the 2nd time, I noted that my medications were in a plastic bag, not as previously, when it was strong paper.
What's more, it had been dispensed at the chemist 'hub' over 30 miles away.

That's not doing much for the environment.
:-| :-0

We’ve not opted for a specific pharmacy. If we can’t get it in the village then, if I am well I can drive to the supermarket. If I am I’ll then OH probably has to go further and into town by train as the bus to the supermarket is not that frequent and waits are different.

I'm not sure what happens at my local pharmacy. :-S

It's about a 10 minute walk away. When i first came here, I gave them the prescription, then picked it up a week later.
My doctor gave me some new medication, which wasn't on the repeat prescription, which I pointed out to the pharmacist.
A week later, I picked up what was on the prescription, and was told the missing item would be there in a week.
Three days later - a knock on the door - and it was delivered!

Since then, I take my prescription to the pharmacy, and within the week, my prescription has been delivered :-D
To be fair, I would say at least half the residents in this road have their prescriptions delivered, so I suppose, one more isn't really a problem.

Well finally I received a reply to my email from the local MSP. He apologized for the delay in replying as is extremely busy.

It was quite short and all he said was he would liase with the CEO of the Health Board and speak to the Health Care MP..whoever that is?

It is a national service not just this area, so I think he missed the point. England's online service covers all of England not just one area. He didn't respond to my comment re NS discussing this back in 2009!

So maybe in another 2-3 months I may get some feedback but I'm not holding my breath.

Florence in the Hebrides

Glad to hear you had a reply of some sort, Florence, even if not what you wanted!

Humza Yousaf is the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care .

His email address (if you're interested!): [email protected]

Oh, ty for the email and yes of course I know his name. just couldn't think off top of my head who it was!

I shall wait and see and if nothing by say end of December, I shall as they say go straight to the top lol

Florence in the Hebrides

Well I had received 2 replies from local MSP and he posted a question in parliament and the reply was
Scotland has no plans to start postal prescription deliveries. If people live in a rural are and cannot get their prescriptions delivered, then they should make a "flu buddy" or ask neighbours and friends to get you meds for you!!!

I have replied that it did not answer the question about Scotland getting an online service.

The MSP said the reply was disappointing but there is nothing else hr can do.

I have replied and suggested that all housebound people should consider moving nearing to a town then? So when all the villages have become ghost places due to depopulation we shall know who to blame!

Doesn’t Scotland have anti discrimination laws ( not the one under discussion at the moment?)

Surely they are discriminating against you as a disabled person and where you are now was not your choice but you were allocated it.

I suppose that as it is not a new problem it is not seen as so important as some of the newer ones.

Lloyds pharmacy are to close some of their sainsbury in store shops.

I’ve only ever used them twice. Once when I was in a hurry to get to my elderly mother and it was going to take them over an hour and on the second time they had a right old go at me for changing my address :-S. I hadn’t’, they muddled me with someone else.

So unpleasant I never used them again.