Long term medication.

[Drayke]

If you are on long term medication and are out cruising for months on end, how do you go about getting and having your prescriptions filled?. Our doctor has said that he can’t keep on changing the location where we have ours prescriptions sent to, and suggests that we settle down in some place for a week or two and register as temp patients. Your solutions on this please.

 

Fred

[Starcoaster]

Get them sent electronically to any branch of Boots (as in, the one local to the doctor, the same Boots every time), they can then send it to any other branch of Boots.

[zenataomm]

You need to understand how Travellers or Those of no fixed abode are catered for.

 

Also Google for the experiences of others like this one .......

http://consideringculture.co.uk/2012/10/continuous-cruising-and-access-to-primary-healthcare/

[Alan de Enfield]

When travelling my Doctor will give me 3 months at a time.

My Brother-in-Law (who spends the Winters in Tenerife) gets 6 months 'worth' from his Doctor.

 

Talk to your Doctor

[Mike Todd]

When travelling my Doctor will give me 3 months at a time.

My Brother-in-Law (who spends the Winters in Tenerife) gets 6 months 'worth' from his Doctor.

 

Talk to your Doctor

try nbEpiphany's web site - Fi has plenty of experience.

[Guest]

I have given my surgery several stamped envelopes.

 

I identify a chemist that I shall be near 3 or 4 days hence. I contact the chemist to ask if they will accept a faxed prescription. If so, I telephone my surgery and give them the fax and address. After faxing the prescription they then use the envelopes to send the hard copy.

[john6767]

Hasn't this all changed recently with repeat prescriptions now being sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. http://systems.hscic.gov.uk/eps

[pearley]

Hasn't this all changed recently with repeat prescriptions now being sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. http://systems.hscic.gov.uk/eps

But even with EPS us it that easy to change the dispensing pharmacy every time?

[john6767]

But even with EPS us it that easy to change the dispensing pharmacy every time?

I don't know, but you would have hoped so.

[Starcoaster]

It is if they are within a large chain like Boots, this is how I do it for my monthly meds. They won't send to a drug store outside of their chain though.

[john6767]

It is if they are within a large chain like Boots, this is how I do it for my monthly meds. They won't send to a drug store outside of their chain though.

Now I think about it, Lloyd's are advertising that if you register with them you can have it sent to any branch, so I suspect that is how this works.

 

http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/info/electronic-prescription-service

[pearley]

Now I think about it, Lloyd's are advertising that if you register with them you can have it sent to any branch, so I suspect that is how this works.

 

http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/info/electronic-prescription-service

That link doesn't actually say that:

 

'Can I change my nomination or cancel it and get a paper prescription?

Yes, you can. If you don’t want your prescription to be sent electronically tell your GP. If you want to change or cancel your nomination speak to any pharmacist or dispensing appliance contractor that offers EPS, or your GP practice. Tell them before your next prescription is due or your prescription may be sent to the wrong place.

I have a repeat prescription dispensed by my nominated pharmacy, but I need a one-off prescription dispensing somewhere else. What do I do?

You can ask your doctor to change your nominated pharmacy for the one-off prescription, but you must remember to change your nomination back for your repeat prescription. Or, you can ask your doctor for a paper prescription for the one-off medication.'

 

As the OP has found constantly changing the nominated pharmacy upsets them.

 

Like a lot of CCers I don't want to upset my GP. Even though he knows we live on a boat, moving around the country, he would be within his rights to remove us from his panel on the basis that we do not live in his area.

 

When I spoke to the Boots nearest my GP on the basis that I nominated them, they then faxed it to the branch nearest where we are moored, they flagged up possible problems:

They make up prescriptions as they are received. It would be difficult to keep our prescriptions to one side until I've told them where to fax it to.

The dispensing pharmacy has to have a hard copy of the prescription, a faxed copy is not sufficient, but they wouldn't necessarily remember to send it on leading to problems with the dispenser getting paid.

 

For the moment I'll continue posting ours in with SAEs to our son, whose address we are registered to and whose GP we use. He then sends it on to us. Just takes about 10 days though when EPS should be almost instant.

[Jamboat]

When we set off cc'ing I joined the same GP surgery as my daughter as it's easy to combine visits with collecting my 2 monthly prescription or any tests required. If we were not able to visit I find a nearby post office that (still!) does post Restante & daughter will send it on.

 

But we have recently found a better system,

I have registered with https://m.pharmacy2u.co.uk, they contact me a week before repeat script is due & check which items I require, within a week the medication, note, medication not just the script is delivered to my daughters address, she could, if necessary send them on to me as before though I usually manage a visit & collect, works for us.

[Drayke]

Thanks for all the replies. It would seem that some doctors are ok with sending to different pharmacists whilst others are not. Maybe we will try the Boots or Lloyds options.

 

Fred

[joe1978]

Fact check time. I'm a pharmacist.

EPS2 means you can nominate ANY pharmacy at ANY time your GP is full of it.

If the GP for some misguided and wrong reason says that you can't keep changing pharmacy then contact your most convenient pharmacy at that time BEFORE you order your repeat prescription and they'll happily fill the electronic prescription for you.

Joe

PS and very very important there are other chemists apart from boots and lloyds. Please support your local independent pharmacy (you'll most likely get a vastly better service too.)

Edited July 21, 2015 by joe1978

[brassedoff]

Fact check time. I'm a pharmacist.

EPS2 means you can nominate ANY pharmacy at ANY time your GP is full of it.

If the GP for some misguided and wrong reason says that you can't keep changing pharmacy then contact your most convenient pharmacy at that time BEFORE you order your repeat prescription and they'll happily fill the electronic prescription for you.

Joe

PS and very very important there are other chemists apart from boots and lloyds. Please support your local independent pharmacy (you'll most likely get a vastly better service too.)

 

Thanks Joe for this information.

 

I am going been in the same boat as it were.