Online prescription service rules

[RubyRowallan]

I wonder if anyone can help me with finding out about surgeries that refuse to provide online prescriptions?

I use the Superdrug service to order my repeat prescription and it works well. I just pay and the stuff turns up a few days later.

My Dad, who is 87 and lives in a village, was telling me that he has to go and collect prescriptions from the surgery and take them to the pharmacy (both in the village) so I suggested he use the Superdrug service.

I set up an account for him and the process of getting authorisation for the first batch went ahead.

A few days later he received an email from the surgery saying that they would not be authorising the prescriptions as they "did not provide online prescriptions". I contacted Superdrug and they apparently have not been told and are just waiting for the OK from the doctor.

I've been trying to find out whether surgeries are obliged to provide this service or not. If they aren't then Ok we will have to leave it but it seems very unfair that an 87 year old cannot make use of this facility. Why should he have to trot down to the surgery every 28 days then off to the pharmacy who then takes a couple of days to dispense the medication that they KNOW he has every 28 days but cannot seem to have any stock of?

My Dad has the same long term drugs for nothing particuarly serious that would need an appointment or constant monitoring. I can understand if the doctor needed to see him but they do not.

He can request a prescription using something called "Patient Access" but he still has to go and collect it. Whilst he is quite able bodied at present, I'm trying to put some things into place for the time when he and my Mum who is 84 are not. There is someone in the village that does do a "prescription run" for people that really cannot get out but he doesn't want to take up this persons time when he can manage quite well.

I have no idea why any particular surgery would not want to provide this service unless, of course, they have more than a passing interest in the village pharmacy keeping the business.

Does anyone know what the rules are regarding surgeries and their obligations to play nicely with external prescription organisations?

Many thanks

 

[Veilside]

I wonder if anyone can help me with finding out about surgeries that refuse to provide online prescriptions?

I use the Superdrug service to order my repeat prescription and it works well. I just pay and the stuff turns up a few days later.

My Dad, who is 87 and lives in a village, was telling me that he has to go and collect prescriptions from the surgery and take them to the pharmacy (both in the village) so I suggested he use the Superdrug service.

I set up an account for him and the process of getting authorisation for the first batch went ahead.

A few days later he received an email from the surgery saying that they would not be authorising the prescriptions as they "did not provide online prescriptions". I contacted Superdrug and they apparently have not been told and are just waiting for the OK from the doctor.

I've been trying to find out whether surgeries are obliged to provide this service or not. If they aren't then Ok we will have to leave it but it seems very unfair that an 87 year old cannot make use of this facility. Why should he have to trot down to the surgery every 28 days then off to the pharmacy who then takes a couple of days to dispense the medication that they KNOW he has every 28 days but cannot seem to have any stock of?

My Dad has the same long term drugs for nothing particuarly serious that would need an appointment or constant monitoring. I can understand if the doctor needed to see him but they do not.

He can request a prescription using something called "Patient Access" but he still has to go and collect it. Whilst he is quite able bodied at present, I'm trying to put some things into place for the time when he and my Mum who is 84 are not. There is someone in the village that does do a "prescription run" for people that really cannot get out but he doesn't want to take up this persons time when he can manage quite well.

I have no idea why any particular surgery would not want to provide this service unless, of course, they have more than a passing interest in the village pharmacy keeping the business.

Does anyone know what the rules are regarding surgeries and their obligations to play nicely with external prescription organisations?

Many thanks

Don’t know if his surgery would do this but I remember before repeat prescriptions being sent direct to pharmacies my mum would post her repeat prescription request with a 1st class stamped envelope inside, the surgery would then use that to post my mums prescription out to her when it was ready.

 

[Hinchhater1442]

I have never heard of this. What you essentially want is the prescription sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. They can’t dictate that choice, it can be any pharmacy you like. I’m pretty sure the receptionists can just pop on his file for prescriptions to go electronically to X pharmacy (once it has been requested). I’m not an expert, but I used to be in charge of ordering medication for a whole care home full of elderly residents and this is what we did

 

[RubyRowallan]

I have never heard of this. What you essentially want is the prescription sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. They can’t dictate that choice, it can be any pharmacy you like. I’m pretty sure the receptionists can just pop on his file for prescriptions to go electronically to X pharmacy (once it has been requested). I’m not an expert, but I used to be in charge of ordering medication for a whole care home full of elderly residents and this is what we did

Essentially yes but the surgery refuses to provide any electronic prescriptions. It isn't that they have refused to send it to the pharmacy of our choice, they have refused to send them electronically at all.

What I am trying to get to the bottom of is, are surgeries in this day and age of practically everything being done on the internet, allowed to just refuse to get involved with electronic prescriptions.

Surely the NHS must have some sort of target for all prescriptions to be done this way? I just don't understand how they can refuse to do this.

 

[Kaylarina]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that paper prescriptions were the exception and almost all prescriptions were sent electronically. All I can assume is that the GP isn't set up for electronic prescriptions - but I would find that hard to believe as I'm sure it came in about 2018/2019 in an effort to save money.

 

[Hinchhater1442]

If anything, it’s easier and actually usually a preference for them to send it electronically. I’d raise it/make a complaint. Or contact CQC X

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

NHS England » Electronic prescription service (EPS)

www.england.nhs.uk

This seems to suggest that it is a requirement for all eligible prescriptions to be sent electronically

 

[Mollywobbles]

Certain drugs are not allowed to be sent by electronic prescription but have to be in paper copy.
Tramadol is one, and a couple of other pain.

 

[funnyone]

Certain drugs are not allowed to be sent by electronic prescription but have to be in paper copy.
Tramadol is one, and a couple of other pain.

That’s not true in England, Tramadol is EPS compliant.
Each surgery whilst governed by the NHS, is a private business organisation and if they choose not to use EPS for their prescriptions, despite it being rolled out in 2014 and being extremely convenient, they simply don’t have to use it. This is the case especially with smaller surgeries with less patients, as they don’t have the uptake for EPS.
I’d suggest you sign your dad over to a pharmacy which provides a prescription collection service, or if you’re lucky, even a delivery service. Perhaps enquire with the surgery about your dad having his repeats managed by his pharmacy - this way they can order when the prescription is due. As to his pharmacy not keeping stock of his items - I understand it’s upsetting for you and for him at 87 to not be able to have all his items given to him when he turns up to the pharmacy, but sadly pharmacies are also just businesses and are unfortunately not required to keep stock of any items for any particular patients, as they only get paid for those items once they’ve been given out to the patient. Often times pharmacies order stock and patients don’t bother turning up with their prescription so that’s money lost.

 

[Piff paff puff]

I wonder if anyone can help me with finding out about surgeries that refuse to provide online prescriptions?

I use the Superdrug service to order my repeat prescription and it works well. I just pay and the stuff turns up a few days later.

My Dad, who is 87 and lives in a village, was telling me that he has to go and collect prescriptions from the surgery and take them to the pharmacy (both in the village) so I suggested he use the Superdrug service.

I set up an account for him and the process of getting authorisation for the first batch went ahead.

A few days later he received an email from the surgery saying that they would not be authorising the prescriptions as they "did not provide online prescriptions". I contacted Superdrug and they apparently have not been told and are just waiting for the OK from the doctor.

I've been trying to find out whether surgeries are obliged to provide this service or not. If they aren't then Ok we will have to leave it but it seems very unfair that an 87 year old cannot make use of this facility. Why should he have to trot down to the surgery every 28 days then off to the pharmacy who then takes a couple of days to dispense the medication that they KNOW he has every 28 days but cannot seem to have any stock of?

My Dad has the same long term drugs for nothing particuarly serious that would need an appointment or constant monitoring. I can understand if the doctor needed to see him but they do not.

He can request a prescription using something called "Patient Access" but he still has to go and collect it. Whilst he is quite able bodied at present, I'm trying to put some things into place for the time when he and my Mum who is 84 are not. There is someone in the village that does do a "prescription run" for people that really cannot get out but he doesn't want to take up this persons time when he can manage quite well.

I have no idea why any particular surgery would not want to provide this service unless, of course, they have more than a passing interest in the village pharmacy keeping the business.

Does anyone know what the rules are regarding surgeries and their obligations to play nicely with external prescription organisations?

Many thanks

That's awful! At that age I can't think of why anyone would expect him to go out of his way indefinitely My local chemists delivers regular prescriptions for free to anyone who wants the service whether they can collect in person or not and regardless of age.

 

[Mollywobbles]

That’s not true in England, Tramadol is EPS compliant.
Each surgery whilst governed by the NHS, is a private business organisation and if they choose not to use EPS for their prescriptions, despite it being rolled out in 2014 and being extremely convenient, they simply don’t have to use it. This is the case especially with smaller surgeries with less patients, as they don’t have the uptake for EPS.
I’d suggest you sign your dad over to a pharmacy which provides a prescription collection service, or if you’re lucky, even a delivery service. Perhaps enquire with the surgery about your dad having his repeats managed by his pharmacy - this way they can order when the prescription is due. As to his pharmacy not keeping stock of his items - I understand it’s upsetting for you and for him at 87 to not be able to have all his items given to him when he turns up to the pharmacy, but sadly pharmacies are also just businesses and are unfortunately not required to keep stock of any items for any particular patients, as they only get paid for those items once they’ve been given out to the patient. Often times pharmacies order stock and patients don’t bother turning up with their prescription so that’s money lost.

Maybe our doctors won’t issue prescriptions for Tramadol directly to the pharmacy for certain patients.
I think the same applies to some tranquilliser drugs that might be collected by people who will misuse them.
I’m always surprised that no identification is required when collecting prescription medication.