Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

Proscribed and Prescribed. I've remembered the difference since reading Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in my early teens.
Cicero was proscribed by Octavian/Augustus and had his head chopped off. For some reason this just stuck.
Medication is prescribed.

 

His chopped off head stuck?

 

I've been using online delivery for my repeat prescriptions for a few years now, a while back it was taken over by P2U, I wont mention the company, since then its been pretty patchy.

They just keep trying to sell you something extra all the time and their app is pretty poor, I often have to log in about three times and last time I went through all the rigmarole at the end it just said, something went wrong.

I had to call them on the phone and just got some stupid automated service that was designed by a 2yr old which took ages.

Next thing was I get a message one of your items is out of stock, its estimated to be sent on the 21st, bearing in mind I ordered on the 5th.
I've since put in another order and that came today.

There were two items on my first order, they could easily have put the item that was available on that order with this one, but oh no, that would be too easy.

So I have now cancelled the first order and got a code number to take to the chemists, I hope they have it in stock, I dont bother too much with missing some of my medication for a few days but the one they actually have in stock and haven't sent is one I dont like missing out on.

I'm thinking of trying a different supplier, this one is a bit haphazard.

 

Our doctors’ surgery has an arrangement with the local chemist shop. I just go online to the NHS app, sign in, follow the repeat prescription ordering routine, and four days (or so) later my prescription is at the chemist’s waiting to be picked up. The chemist also has a volunteer driver service which will deliver your prescription to your home if you can’t get out to pick it up.

 

I used to go to the chemist to pick up my prescriptions, I was working back then so often went at the end of the day, every time it would involve a long queue, followed by, it will be 15 minutes, regardless of how long they had had the prescription.

I'd then say, alright I'll pick it up the same time tomorrow, next day long queue, Oh yes it will be 10 minutes it just needs to be checked.

I gave up on them.

I once went over there on a saturday morning to get something off the shelf, but they were not open, people outside waiting, staff in shop, we cant open because the pharmacist hasn't turned up.

The whole system is a joke, but it aint funny.

 

Just a follow up,just been to the local chemist and they have no stock of one of the items, but I atleast got my blood pressure medication.
They said they would order the other item and they should have it by tomorrow

If that turns out to be true, what are P2U up to, it's taken them more than 2 weeks and they still don't have it.

Even got my blood pressure taken while I was there.

 

When I popped in to pick up my prescription last week I was offered my winter flu jab! I must have looked shocked because the lady said “Yes, I know…. but you know where we are when you want it.”

 

Glad you mentioned that @Tidemark. Just checked on Boots' site and have booked ours ....

 

Was it up with all that hasle, so why is it harder to do things now when it's all done by computers
They want people off Med's but this sort of things is now not helping with things, but i think that these computer softwere is writen by people with screwed up minds which then come out in they're softwere

 

At a roundabout and waiting for traffic coming from staight over wanting to turn right (there right), 1 lady on my right with indicater for turning left!! and front wheels also turned to the left, so as the car + van went across and now all clear, lady to my right with left indicater going comes staight across in front of me to turn her right!!! i didn't like the 1 finger sign, some one don't know their left from their right, luckey it on my dash cam

 

I had the same problem a few months ago. One item not in stock and they had phoned round their suppliers and none had it. I contacted the surgery to ask if an alternative was available, and they said they would ask the doctor and get back to me. A while later I got a call back and the lady on the phone said "I'm just going to repeat what the GP said to me. 'That's what I prescribed, the patient will just have to phone around other pharmacies until they find one with it in stock'". She was very apologetic and seemed as shocked as I was by the attitude'.
Patients daren't complain to, or about, the surgery as they are likely to kicked off their list.

 

How did we reach the stage where a GP would prefer a patient had no medication for a condition rather than suggest a substitute? And how did we reach the stage when it is the patient's job to run round sourcing the drug?

 

Power

 

Our arrangement with a big high street chain, is that we order our prescriptions on the GP website, and they send the prescription on line to the pharmacy. When the pharmacy get the prescription, I get a text to say they’ve received it. When it’s ready to collect, I get another text. This wasnt an automatically set up service with the pharmacy, I had to request it, but it does mean that when I go to pick up the prescription, it is already bagged up for collection. Before I got this set up, I would often arrive to be told that they were just making up the prescription, or that they had to wait for the pharmacist to check it. I still usually have to queue to be served, and often hear the people in front of me being told to wait.
A couple of years ago, there was national shortage of one of OHs medications, the pharmacy rang our GP who prescribed an alternative. I have occasionally had to wait for my local branch to source something that was out of stock, but they got it for me, I wasn’t sent off to shop around myself.