Nightmare Doctors.

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Does anyone else go to a doctors surgery that’s an absolute joke?

I literally cried when my last surgery my said we couldn’t stay after we moved because our local one was notorious, even before covid.

I’m on regular medication. It was easy before, I used to rock up at the chemist to collect at a convenient time and it was ready and waiting when due. My new doctors have a dispensary that is open 9-5 with an hour off for lunch so don’t even try to arrive in your lunch break because they are all taking theirs at that time too, it’s literally impossible for anyone that has a job.

I cannot order by phone. I need to physically present my paper prescription at the doctors to order. I live 6 miles away, it’s lockdown, heaven forbid you expect the receptionist to answer the phone and type on the computer at the same time.

I cannot sign up to an online delivery to the door service because said surgery want to make extra money from the inconvenience of the community. One particular receptionist has the people skills of a turnip who clearly hates everyone and doing her job is a massive inconvenience.

One of the main doctors is rude and aggressive I I know of at least 10 people who have raised complaints about her treatment, she told me one she didn’t have time to deal with my issue and I should have booked a double appointment even though the ‘care navigators’ won’t book you in until you explain in great detail what the issue is before they’ll even think of letting you see a doctor.

I had one thing in the last year I needed to see the doctor for, I was (not even a slight exaggeration) made to stand in the pouring rain for 45 minutes, reprimanded by above mentioned receptionist and made to hand a water sample through a window in front of 8 other people in the queue and had to discuss my medical issue in front of all those people too.

Last time I went to get my prescription a man was having a physical examination in the car park while the doctor was discussing his chemotherapy schedule.

I have no idea how or why they are still allowed to operate.
 
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Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
If you've got a repeat prescription you should be able to set it up to collect your medicine from another pharmacy and do repeat ordering online.

I do this and collect my medicine from Asda pharmacy which is open 7 days a week up to about 20.00.

I arranged this with Asda not my GP so I don't know whether the GP can refuse to issue the prescription to another pharmacy or not but I would have thought that the surgery would welcome as few direct interactions with their patients as possible at the moment.
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
If you've got a repeat prescription you should be able to set it up to collect your medicine from another pharmacy and do repeat ordering online.

I do this and collect my medicine from Asda pharmacy which is open 7 days a week up to about 20.00.

I arranged this with Asda not my GP so I don't know whether the GP can refuse to issue the prescription to another pharmacy or not but I would have thought that the surgery would welcome as few direct interactions with their patients as possible at the moment.

They won’t allow it, there is an independent pharmacy literal across the road and they won’t allow them even to collect repeat prescriptions. It’s a money grabbing exercise.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
They won’t allow it, there is an independent pharmacy literal across the road and they won’t allow them even to collect repeat prescriptions. It’s a money grabbing exercise.
Mmm, I wonder if Trading Standards might have something to say about what seems to be, essentially, a restrictive practice?
 

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/how-to-order-repeat-prescriptions-online/

"If you receive medicine on repeat prescription, you can now use several apps and websites to order your repeats online. You can then collect your medicines from a pharmacy or have them delivered to your home (where available).

When you order a repeat prescription online, you can have your prescription sent electronically to a pharmacy or dispenser of your choice. This means you no longer need to collect a paper prescription from your GP surgery."
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
They won’t allow it, there is an independent pharmacy literal across the road and they won’t allow them even to collect repeat prescriptions. It’s a money grabbing exercise.
That can't be right.
I'm with Holmcroft Surgery but my repeat prescription is always ready at the nearer independent Weston Road Pharmacy. I just turn up eight weeks after the last one and they know me by name even though I have no other business with them.
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/how-to-order-repeat-prescriptions-online/

"If you receive medicine on repeat prescription, you can now use several apps and websites to order your repeats online. You can then collect your medicines from a pharmacy or have them delivered to your home (where available).

When you order a repeat prescription online, you can have your prescription sent electronically to a pharmacy or dispenser of your choice. This means you no longer need to collect a paper prescription from your GP surgery."
They won’t allow it, I’ve tried them all, you can’t have a prescription collection service. I literally cried on the phone a couple of months ago, their archaic regime is affecting my health. Previous job was a nightmare and I literally couldn’t get to the docs within the restricted times.

I had surgery in 2011 to remove a fairly significant organ luckily medication is available to synthetically do the job of the missing organ but must have gone without 3-4 months worth over the past year because I haven’t been able to get my prescriptions. Didn’t help that they kept changing the opening times so arrived more than once expecting it to be open and found it shut.

I will say it’s not a Stafford town surgery, we’re more rural than that just to add to the inconvenience.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
If what you are saying is correct then your only options really are either to change surgery (your existing surgery cannot stop you doing this) or get somebody to collect your prescriptions for you if you are unable to get there yourself.

It all seems very unsatisfactory (even more so than GPs usually are).
 
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Bob

Well-Known Forumite
I can’t change, no one but them will cover our area. I’ve got no one that lives near the surgery with that I can ask, it’s crap.

I rang every surgery within 10 miles and they all said no. One of them was actually closer than the one we’re at but they cover a different area.
 

lochdhu

Well-Known Forumite
I can’t change, no one but them will cover our area. I’ve got no one that lives near the surgery with that I can ask, it’s crap.

I rang every surgery within 10 miles and they all said no. One of them was actually closer than the one we’re at but they cover a different area.
:(
 

joshua

Well-Known Forumite
They won’t allow it, I’ve tried them all, you can’t have a prescription collection service. I literally cried on the phone a couple of months ago, their archaic regime is affecting my health. Previous job was a nightmare and I literally couldn’t get to the docs within the restricted times.

I had surgery in 2011 to remove a fairly significant organ luckily medication is available to synthetically do the job of the missing organ but must have gone without 3-4 months worth over the past year because I haven’t been able to get my prescriptions. Didn’t help that they kept changing the opening times so arrived more than once expecting it to be open and found it shut.
I will say it’s not a Stafford town surgery, we’re more rural than that just to add to the inconvenience.

Its not Eccleshall is it ?
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
That can't be right.
I'm with Holmcroft Surgery but my repeat prescription is always ready at the nearer independent Weston Road Pharmacy. I just turn up eight weeks after the last one and they know me by name even though I have no other business with them.
Also with Holmcroft, often my repeat goes missing.... Not blaming the pharmacy next door though, they're great.... But holmcroft is lacking....
 

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
Wow. I thought Great Haywood was the worst around but even they aren’t that bad. ( They are completely crap though with many of the characteristics you describe). At least I can order meds online.
It seems to be a common problem with lots of surgeries, I’ve been looking to change for a few years & when researching various places they all seem more or less the same.
 
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proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Wow. I thought Great Haywood was the worst around but even they aren’t that bad. ( They are completely crap though with many of the characteristics you describe). At least I can order meds online.
It seems to be a common problem with lots of surgeries, I’ve been looking to change for a few years & when researching various places they all seem more or less the same.
And therein lies the problem.

As they're all mainly the same there is no incentive to move elsewhere, thereby taking the money that is attached to your custom to somebody else. They all know this which is why they are all the same and can get away with being so crap. If you do complain too vocally of course, they can kick you off their patient list, so you get punished for their crappiness and they get away with it again.

The principle of the NHS is excellent and many parts of the NHS are excellent but the GP system is totally, utterly crap and will always be so until someone his them in the wallet and forces them to offer customer service. Much like the Outpatient system as well actually.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Wow. I thought Great Haywood was the worst around but even they aren’t that bad. ( They are completely crap though with many of the characteristics you describe). At least I can order meds online.
It seems to be a common problem with lots of surgeries, I’ve been looking to change for a few years & when researching various places they all seem more or less the same.
But all the clapping for the NHS makes them think they can do no wrong.
 
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