Online pharmacies

[mc2fool]

So, rather than requesting the repeat prescription from P2U, have you tried requesting it through the NHS App? If P2U are your nominated pharmacy that should work. If you haven't tried it already give it a go next time.

I ask 'cos I'd just prefer to keep the number of websites/apps I have to deal with down to a minimum.

I hadnt - I've just put a request in via NHS app. It seems to have at least registered/ordered - I'll await further action etc to see what really happens

Ok!

[MDW1954]

Switching to Well, I thought that I would continue to request via my GP, and that Well would fulfil it. But no: I have to log onto Well's website. The process is painless, and the whole transaction takes around a minute.

Hmm...that's curious. Does your GP have their own custom system and not offer access via the NHS App, Patient Access, etc, etc?

Anyway, so how long does it typically take for the meds to arrive in your hands?

I've just gone to the website and found no explicit mention of the NHS app, but I do seem to recall that it is possible to use it to make appointments. They mention something called Patient Online. In general, they were very keen to encourage online interaction prior to Covid. I'm aware of one other local practice (the one that we should actually be registered with, oddly enough), where online repeat prescriptions are a bit of a nightmare.

To stress: my own 18+ month long experience of Well has been without incident.

Ordering to meds in hand is generally a week, give or take a day or so. (Bear in mind we live in a very rural environment.) Much seems to depend on how quickly the GP practice approves it, which I guess has to happen whatever service you use.

MDW1954

[didds]

I hadnt - I've just put a request in via NHS app. It seems to have at least registered/ordered - I'll await further action etc to see what really happens

Ok!

I've had an email saying my prescription was approved !!! (timed 17:54 - my request must have gone in just a few minutes prior to my post earliertimed 13:28 )

What I didnt get, ordering via the app, was an email saying my prescription had been sent, which is what I would have normally got from the P2U website request...

but so far so good...

didds

[didds]

UPDATE: pharamcy2u via NHS app.

As above,

repeat prescription requested 18/12/2021
Prescription approved 18/10/2021
delivery notification (email) 20/10/2021
arrived 22/10/2021

The one thing I didnt seem to get was an acknowledgement via email that I had actually placed the order which i usually get when i order via the P2U website, but maybe thats because it shows on the NHS app as having been ordered etc being fair.

end to end order to delivery is about standard - obviously there are 3rd party interactions here (GP and delivery) that are outside of P2U

didds

[mc2fool]

UPDATE: pharamcy2u via NHS app

Ok, great, thanks.

On emails, who do you normally get what from? I.e. do they come from P2U, your GP, or ... ? And this time?

I order my repeat prescriptions via Patient Access and I get a text from my local Boots when they're ready to pick up, but that's it. No emails.

[Bminusrob]

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.

[pje16]

I order my repeat prescriptions via Patient Access and I get a text from my local Boots when they're ready to pick up, but that's it. No emails.

I do the same but from Day Lewis, and get texts
time turnaround is 2 days, has been the next day sometime

[didds]

UPDATE: pharamcy2u via NHS app

Ok, great, thanks.

On emails, who do you normally get what from? I.e. do they come from P2U, your GP, or ... ? And this time?

I order my repeat prescriptions via Patient Access and I get a text from my local Boots when they're ready to pick up, but that's it. No emails.

all Pharmacy2U emails, and also when using the web site - nothing form my GP at all either way.

I used to use Boots in town with the SMS service when my presscription was ready - that worked about three times and then stopped working. Nobody at Boots could work out why. Then the pharmacist always went to lunch at the same time as my lunch break was, which meant it couldnt be dispensed which only left Saturdays (if Im not away for the weekend) to collect it so I gave up and went to P2U (other pharmacists in town were either useless of have huge queues ...).

P2U have been excellent from my perspective. It has proved to be an efficient and hassle free service. Especially compared to the two pharmacy experiences in town.

[mc2fool]

all Pharmacy2U emails, and also when using the web site - nothing form my GP at all either way.

I used to use Boots in town with the SMS service when my presscription was ready - that woprked about three times and then stopped working. Nobody at Boots could work out why. then the pharmacist always went to lunch at the same ti meas my lunch break was, whuich emant it couldnt be dispebnsed whoich only left Saturdays (if Im not away for the weekend) to collect it so I gave up and went to P2U (other pharmacists in town were either useless of have huge queues ...)

Ok, thanks. Yeah, it's crap service from my local Boots that's prompted me to look around. My first thought was to switch to the other local chemists that's within walking distance, an independent, but on asking my neighbour who uses them is seems that not only don't they send out any notifications but they don't prepare the meds until you arrive, so it's no different than just turning up with the prescription in hand, just paperless.

Hence my OP for fools experience of online pharmacies that deliver to your home....

[XFool]

I have to confess I don't use an online pharmacy for my repeat prescriptions, so cannot comment. However...

I used to use Boots in town with the SMS service when my presscription was ready - that worked about three times and then stopped working. Nobody at Boots could work out why. Then the pharmacist always went to lunch at the same time as my lunch break was, which meant it couldnt be dispensed which only left Saturdays (if Im not away for the weekend) to collect it so I gave up and went to P2U (other pharmacists in town were either useless of have huge queues ...).

When I started on repeat prescriptions I tried the local Boots at first.

Ran in to similar scale problems as above, switched to a small Charles Sampson pharmacy a few doors down. No problems since. Just use Patient Access to request a new prescription, approved by GP and sent electronically to pharmacy. I pick up at pharmacy a couple of days later.

[mc2fool]

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?!?

[Bminusrob]

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.

[tjh290633]

I use System Online on our local practice website for repeat prescriptions. They send it to the pharmacy of your choice electronically. In my case that is Lloyd's pharmacy in the village high street, 15 minutes walk away. They, however, have them made up centrally at a place in Ruislip and are delivered to the shop about 4 working days after the request. Controlled drugs are made up on the premises. I usually request on Thursday and collect on Wednesday. The old problems of deficiency chits seems to have gone away.

You can still get an urgent prescription made up on the spot, if required. They are always busy dispensing, presumably for customers who follow the traditional process.

TJH