Who Stole my Prescription?

[terminal7]

Not too sure where to put this post, but it strikes me to be a legal matter and possible data base abuse regarding medical records.

As a result of the need for immediate pain relief I was prescribed by my dentist a private prescription for a heavy pain killer. The dental practice was located some 50m from a high street pharmacy chain. It was 18.30 and I did not take the prescription to my normal (independent) pharmacy that was 15 mins walk as I was concerned that it closed around 18.00/18.30. So received the meds from chain chemist.

What appears to have happened subsequently is that the pharmacist at the chain pharmacy informed my GP surgery that I had requested all future prescriptions to them. This week I requested my usual repeat meds and went to collect the meds from my local independent. Friendly pharmacist who I have known for several years - sorry nothing received etc. You must phone your GP reception to chase.

GP reception: the prescription issued and sent to chain pharmacy as recently requested for all future prescriptions. State I never made this request or amended on line my details - been with same local pharmacy for years etc. GO reception - OK will re-amend records and will re-issue prescription to original pharmacy. Go back to my friendly local pharmacist who now has the ok from the GP. Tell him what the GP reception has said and he informs this is not the first time this happened and that the pharmacist at the chain pharmacy gets a commission on ‘signing’ up new customers. They are able to get access to local GP databases for the NI number and then put in a request to change the chosen pharmacy for prescriptions. Now, I thought this all far-fetched but friendly pharmacist said one of his customers (solicitor) had experienced similar and written to HQ of chain and received a grovelling apology.

Anyone aware of this?

T5

[Boots]

Yes, my wife had exactly this happen. It's really rather annoying.

[Maroochydore]

Not quite the same but I get my scripts delivered. I changed from Pharmacy A (Lloyds Direct) to Pharmacy B (a local small independent chain), advised my surgery and got confirmation.

First two scripts to Pharmacy B went without a hitch. Third one never appeared so I chased Pharmacy B. They said they never got the script back and check with surgery. Surgery said they sent it to Pharmacy A, same as per previous scripts. I said that's rubbish because a) I had closed my online account with Pharmacy A so they couldn't have accepted it and b) I had my previous two scripts delivered by Pharmacy B's own van.

No! the receptionist said, the computer said last three were Pharmacy A. I repeat what I said and she repeats what she said so I repeat what I said, getting really annoyed now at the futility of speaking with an absolute moron and she repeats what she said. I said I was running out of drugs because her system was wrong, what is she going to do about it.

She said she'd get a new script, which she did and it was at Pharmacy B within 30 minutes.

The drugs are for blood-pressure, she certainly didn't help the situation. Computer says No!

[terminal7]

Yes, my wife had exactly this happen. It's really rather annoying.

Boots Of course you only go to Superdrug.

T7

[Dod101]

Yes, my wife had exactly this happen. It's really rather annoying.

If it happened to me I would regard it as more than 'rather annoying'. It is dishonest of the pharmacy (when did they stop being called chemists?) to seek that the prescriptions be rerouted to them with no reference to the customer. For a start, it is sharp practice at the very least and could of course cause serious problems in the event of some sort of emergency. People tend to prefer one pharmacy over another for a whole range of reasons, convenience of the location, perceived better service, personal vibes and so on.

The offending pharmacy should be at least be reprimanded by a strong letter to the HO and maybe even referred to the local licensing authority. There is such a thing because we had a situation in my village where there was but one pharmacy, a branch of Lloyds. They were totally complacent with their monopoly position and objected at every turn when a local chain wanted/applied for a license to open in competition.

Do not accept this lying down!

Dod

[terminal7]

Time for a Sue Grabbit and Run letter to HO. Any suggestions? To PR dept or direct to MD or FO? Methinks Customers Relations a waste of time.

T7

[Dod101]

Time for a Sue Grabbit and Run letter to HO. Any suggestions? To PR dept or direct to MD or FO? Methinks Customers Relations a waste of time.

T7

I would go to the MD and would expect the matter to be treated seriously.

Dod

[Bminusrob]

A me-too moment. About 10 years ago, I had a repeat prescription. My doctor's surgery had a dispensary, but the repeat prescription process was a complete pain. To get the repeat prescription, I have to deliver the form by hand to the surgery during their working hours. The surgery was several miles from where I worked, and to deliver it, I had to leave work early, and hope the traffic was not too bad. I then had to wait for it to be "processed", which would take at least five days, but could be up to ten days. I then had to collect it, again during working hours, so another day of leaving work early.

This was such a pain that I signed up with Boots whose repeat prescription service worked like a dream, and Boots was on my way to work or home from work, and I didn't need to leave work early.

All well and good until I had a really bad infection, as it turned out, related to cancer which was disgnosed subsequently. The doctor prescribed some serious pain killers, and told me they would be available at the dispensary in "a few minutes". I waited to be called, but after half an hour, I was getting seriously ill, and in danger of not being abe to drive home. I went to reception and asked the dragon if my prescription would appear soon. "Oh no", she said. "Your prescriptions go to Boots". Not an ounce of sympathy. I did get the prescription from the dispensary, and I did get home safely, but if I thought sticking pins in voodoo dolls worked, that dragon would be in serious trouble.

[Dod101]

A me-too moment. About 10 years ago, I had a repeat prescription. My doctor's surgery had a dispensary, but the repeat prescription process was a complete pain. To get the repeat prescription, I have to deliver the form by hand to the surgery during their working hours. The surgery was several miles from where I worked, and to deliver it, I had to leave work early, and hope the traffic was not too bad. I then had to wait for it to be "processed", which would take at least five days, but could be up to ten days. I then had to collect it, again during working hours, so another day of leaving work early.

This was such a pain that I signed up with Boots whose repeat prescription service worked like a dream, and Boots was on my way to work or home from work, and I didn't need to leave work early.

All well and good until I had a really bad infection, as it turned out, related to cancer which was disgnosed subsequently. The doctor prescribed some serious pain killers, and told me they would be available at the dispensary in "a few minutes". I waited to be called, but after half an hour, I was getting seriously ill, and in danger of not being abe to drive home. I went to reception and asked the dragon if my prescription would appear soon. "Oh no", she said. "Your prescriptions go to Boots". Not an ounce of sympathy. I did get the prescription from the dispensary, and I did get home safely, but if I thought sticking pins in voodoo dolls worked, that dragon would be in serious trouble.

Well by your own admission you asked for prescriptions to go to Boots. 'Worked like a dream you have said'. This is a long way from the Op's complaint.

Dod

Moderator Message:
Can we please not drift off-topic. (chas49)

[mc2fool]

Not too sure where to put this post, but it strikes me to be a legal matter and possible data base abuse regarding medical records.

It does sound like a misuse of personal data issue, and not one that would seem to be covered by the six "lawful bases". https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/does-an-organisation-need-my-consent/

I'd start by calling up the ICO for a chat about it and see what they say and/or recommend. https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ (call for just a chat to find out where you stand to start with...)

[AF62]

Given the poor state of NHS computer systems, constant change, staff training, and time pressure, I would suggest that Hanlon's razor is the most likely explanation.

Is it more likely that a pharmacy is engaged in a conspiracy to steal patients or that the poorly trained, under pressure staff, working with a poorly designed NHS system make the wrong selection for a prescription that is going to a different pharmacy for a one-off event and instead makes the selection for it to be permanent. And that is before you get to the issue that the change can be made either at the GP end or the pharmacy end, so who made the error.

Now of course that shouldn't happen and an apology should be made, but legal action?

If in doubt after a one-off prescription to a different location then just take a look in the NHS app to see what your nominated pharmacy is and change it if wrong.

[mc2fool]

Is it more likely that a pharmacy is engaged in a conspiracy to steal patients or that the poorly trained, under pressure staff, working with a poorly designed NHS system make the wrong selection for a prescription that is going to a different pharmacy for a one-off event and instead makes the selection for it to be permanent. And that is before you get to the issue that the change can be made either at the GP end or the pharmacy end, so who made the error.

Now of course that shouldn't happen and an apology should be made, but legal action?

AIUI the OP took a paper prescription (from their dentist, not GP) to their not-usual chemists, and, in any case, isn't talking about legal action but just sending them a letter of complaint.

[AF62]

AIUI the OP took a paper prescription (from their dentist, not GP) to their not-usual chemists, and, in any case, isn't talking about legal action but just sending them a letter of complaint.

Yes, and for what have happened to have happened, the pharmacy would have keyed it into the NHS Electronic Prescription System (EPS) and thus the question is did the pharmacy deliberately ‘steal’ the OP as a patient by setting them up to be their future pharmacy or was it a case of ‘fat fingers’ and they mistakenly didn’t set them up as temporary.

I would suggest the latter and not the former.

And this is legal board, and many others were suggesting various sorts of legal action.

[mc2fool]

AIUI the OP took a paper prescription (from their dentist, not GP) to their not-usual chemists, and, in any case, isn't talking about legal action but just sending them a letter of complaint.

Yes, and for what have happened to have happened, the pharmacy would have keyed it into the NHS Electronic Prescription System (EPS) and thus the question is did the pharmacy deliberately ‘steal’ the OP as a patient by setting them up to be their future pharmacy or was it a case of ‘fat fingers’ and they mistakenly didn’t set them up as temporary.

I would suggest the latter and not the former.

Maybe so, although not according to the OP's normal chemists, however that is, of course, anecdotal.

The OP hasn't identified the offending chemists and it might be useful for them to do a wider internet search to see if their case is a rarity or if others have had the same experience and the OP's normal chemists is right....

[AF62]

Maybe so, although not according to the OP's normal chemists, however that is, of course, anecdotal.

All the normal pharmacy knows is they had a customer and now they don’t. To extrapolate that to the new pharmacy ‘stealing’ customers takes a bit of a leap with little information.

[swill453]

Maybe so, although not according to the OP's normal chemists, however that is, of course, anecdotal.

All the normal pharmacy knows is they had a customer and now they don’t. To extrapolate that to the new pharmacy ‘stealing’ customers takes a bit of a leap with little information.

No, the normal pharmacy knows they had a customer who has complained about being involuntarily transferred, and has now reversed the process. And that this isn't the first time it's happened.

Did you actually read the OP?

Scott.

[mc2fool]

Maybe so, although not according to the OP's normal chemists, however that is, of course, anecdotal.

All the normal pharmacy knows is they had a customer and now they don’t. To extrapolate that to the new pharmacy ‘stealing’ customers takes a bit of a leap with little information.

You/I/we don't know that's "all" they know. Yes, possibly what the OP's normal chemists said to the OP, that this was "not the first time this happened and that the pharmacist at the chain pharmacy gets a commission on ‘signing’ up new customers" was just a wild guess or just possibly the OP's normal chemists knew that for certain.

[AF62]

Maybe so, although not according to the OP's normal chemists, however that is, of course, anecdotal.

All the normal pharmacy knows is they had a customer and now they don’t. To extrapolate that to the new pharmacy ‘stealing’ customers takes a bit of a leap with little information.

No, the normal pharmacy knows they had a customer who has complained about being involuntarily transferred, and has now reversed the process. And that this isn't the first time it's happened.

Did you actually read the OP?

Scott.

Yes I did!

But the original pharmacy doesn’t know that the other pharmacy has ‘stolen’ the customer - which is what was being alleged, only that the customer was transferred when they didn’t actually want to be.

Was the transfer due to the customer being stolen - possibly.
Was it due due to mistake (either by the pharmacy or the customer) - possibly.

And are such issues likely to be one-offs never to be repeated - of course not given the number of prescriptions dispensed, but that doesn’t make malfeasance more likely than mistake.

[UncleEbenezer]

Given the poor state of NHS computer systems, constant change, staff training, and time pressure, I would suggest that Hanlon's razor is the most likely explanation.

Is it more likely that a pharmacy is engaged in a conspiracy to steal patients or that the poorly trained, under pressure staff, working with a poorly designed NHS system make the wrong selection for a prescription that is going to a different pharmacy for a one-off event and instead makes the selection for it to be permanent. And that is before you get to the issue that the change can be made either at the GP end or the pharmacy end, so who made the error.

Now of course that shouldn't happen and an apology should be made, but legal action?

If in doubt after a one-off prescription to a different location then just take a look in the NHS app to see what your nominated pharmacy is and change it if wrong.

For what it's worth ...

I've asked at my GP about getting repeat prescriptions under the control of the NHS app. So I'm in control if I need to grab one when I'm far from home.

They say they can't unless I abandon having a nominated pharmacy and make every order myself.

It wasn't entirely clear, but my experience with NHS online services persuaded me to leave well alone in the face of such warnings. The OP's predicament sounds like a very likely issue with the system, or it could doubtless get a lot worse.

[mc2fool]

I've asked at my GP about getting repeat prescriptions under the control of the NHS app. So I'm in control if I need to grab one when I'm far from home.

They say they can't unless I abandon having a nominated pharmacy and make every order myself.

It wasn't entirely clear, but my experience with NHS online services persuaded me to leave well alone in the face of such warnings. The OP's predicament sounds like a very likely issue with the system, or it could doubtless get a lot worse.

I'm puzzled at that. As has already been said, you can use the NHS app to change your nominated pharmacy at any time. And I don't understand what "make every order myself" means; do you not have to order your repeat prescription every month (or two), when you get close to running out?

I do. I've done it with Patient Access or the NHS App previously and currently I'm using LloydsDirect, which is both my nominated pharmacy and the system I use for ordering (I can still order with PA/NHS but then the LD system requires me to confirm it, so it's an extra step).

With LloydsDirect when I put in the order I have the choice of getting it delivered to my home by post, or having it prepared at any Lloyds Pharmacy store with them letting me know when it's ready to collect, or collecting it "from any of 10,500 Post Office collection points". For the latter two you stick in a postcode and they give you a list of the nearest ten (with the obligatory pins-in-google-map).

Of those I've only used the delivery by post but there is another way, which is if you go to their system after your GP has approved it but before they've sent it out, you can get them to send you an email with a code for your prescription (as a barcode and as a cryptic string of alphanumerics), which you can take to any local pharmacy for fulfilment.

Oh, and according to this NHS page you can get an "emergency" supply from any pharmacists without a prescription, if you can convince them....