Bulletguy Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Brian Kirby - 2015-06-19 11:14 AM Paul, I really think you are conflating two wholly unrelated issues. How a doctor treats a patient is a matter for his/her professional judgement, guided by his/her interpretation of the prescribing guidelines. There can never be consistency in that: doctors are not automatons. Whether or not the NHS funds "health tourism" is surely a completely different matter, and has nothing whatever to do with how long a supply of medication your doctor is prepared to prescribe for you. It has long been the case that a) the longest period for which it is deemed desirable to prescribe drugs is three months, and b) that you are officially supposed to be de-registered if you leave the country for more than three months. However, both issues are widely interpreted with great flexibility. There are sound, and quite obvious, reasons for the restrictions, and we have to find satisfactory compromises with our doctors to work around them. Your frustration is palpable, but if you lay the blame on your doctor, I fear you risk alienating the one person you need as your ally. Biting the hand that feeds? :-) Yes i know i went off topic a bit but forget the 'health tourism' and look at the other example i quoted (insulin), and it isn't consistent. For example; when at home i get 6 x 1 monthly prescriptions. Once those are almost used up i then have to make an appointment with my GP to have a review before they issue me another 6 x 1 month. So i have a review twice a year. I do blame my GP for what happened as i'd gone to see him specifically for the purpose of a supply of medication to last me. He knew that....he even asked me which countries i was going to.....yet he still made the prescriptions out incorrectly. The Pharmacist had them for two damn weeks knowing they couldn't issue (because they were incorrect), yet made no effort to contact me, so i also hold them partly to blame. In the past it seems the person who worked my local Pharmacy was perhaps the more lenient type and issued me with whatever i needed when going away. But she's left and that's why i've now found myself up against rule book 'jobsworths' toeing the official line by both GP and Pharmacist. Reading through the NHS site last night, it appears the 3 month thing is based on residency in that if you are out of the country longer.....you are deemed to be 'non-resident'. That to me is plain bonkers. I own my house in the UK, i pay ALL my taxes in the UK as i have for the past 50 years, and i have no other domestic property to live anywhere else, so once my travels are over i HAVE to come back to the UK because it's where i live! Crikey me...anyone would think i'm engaged in subversive activities attempting to escape from the damn country! At the other extreme, my mate as mentioned in the other post simply rocks up to his GP, "we are off to Spain for 15 weeks over winter". No problem...here you go Mr H. Job done, And he's on a right cocktail of drugs. In 2 weeks time he's having a pacemaker fitted as well. OK....this experience of mine just left me feeling worked up and angry that my time away was very nearly scuppered, but any future plans seem undoubtedly curtailed. To give you some idea where i live, i only have one choice of Surgery so can't even go to an alternative practice and the Surgery even closes every Thursday afternoon. They have half day closing! *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 In Scotland, or at least where we live, our GP is happy to prescribe for 3 months. He told me however that pharmacists generally do not like this as they get paid for each prescription dispensed. It follows therefore that the pharmacist gets paid three times if prescriptions are dispensed monthly, over a 3 month period, but only once if its a 3 month supply! Incidentally this would explain why our pharmacist offered to write me a prescription when I went in to buy almond oil (prior to ears syringed). I think the oil was about £1.50 which I was happy to pay myself, rather than adding cost etc to the NHS - free prescriptions up here 'thanks' to Emperor Salmond Not sure about position in England Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Bulletguy - 2015-06-19 1:14 PM..............OK....this experience of mine just left me feeling worked up and angry that my time away was very nearly scuppered, but any future plans seem undoubtedly curtailed.................... I know Paul, but I doubt if it will be that bad. If the pharmacist is new in he is probably somewhat on probation and finding his feet. Possibly recently qualified, so still playing by the book until he gains the confidence to do otherwise? Rules and wise men? :-) However, I would have thought he should have contacted the doctor over his error, got it sorted, and then got on with the prescriptuon - especially as it seems to have included insulin, which might reasonably have been presumed urgent. Question is, did he? If your doctor is unchanged then, apart from his one error, I can see no reason why he would change his usual approach to prescribing next time around. He just needs to get the prescription right! :-) Given that he manages that, why would the pharmacist countermand the prescription? It might be prudent for him to check the quantity if he thinks it could be an error, but I'd have thought that if the doctor says that in his judgement the amount is appropriate, his decision would be what governs. Unless, of course, the DoH have issued further guidance on prescribing under the new government, with the intention of reducing costs. I expect it will get sorted out amicably in the end, without curtailing your travel arrangements. In the meantime, have a good trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 For my regular blood pressure tablets I put the repeat prescriptions in a couple of weeks early each time & gradually build up a stock, needed some new medication recently told the Doc I had a couple of trips planned he gave me 4 months supply. Although 2 months is the norm it all comes down to the individual Doc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 My Doctor issues 2 x 3 month prescriptions for Statins. I get 2 months supply of eye drops. Both are repeat prescriptions. My Doctor is very strict and strait laced. Therefore I am confident that he is not breaking or bending any rules. If he can do it and others can not, the 'can not's' are 'will not's' by choice. Change your Doctor or complain formally. There are Jobsworths in every walk of life. If the drugs are not repeat ones or you are liable to regular checks for adjustment ..... then you must live with what the Doctor decides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 arthur49 - 2015-06-19 1:56 PM In Scotland, or at least where we live, our GP is happy to prescribe for 3 months. He told me however that pharmacists generally do not like this as they get paid for each prescription dispensed. It follows therefore that the pharmacist gets paid three times if prescriptions are dispensed monthly, over a 3 month period, but only once if its a 3 month supply! That does explain this reluctance to dish out medication in bulk! They can't make as much money from it! Brian Kirby - 2015-06-19 3:02 PM I know Paul, but I doubt if it will be that bad. If the pharmacist is new in he is probably somewhat on probation and finding his feet. Possibly recently qualified, so still playing by the book until he gains the confidence to do otherwise? Rules and wise men? :-) However, I would have thought he should have contacted the doctor over his error, got it sorted, and then got on with the prescriptuon - especially as it seems to have included insulin, which might reasonably have been presumed urgent. Question is, did he? If your doctor is unchanged then, apart from his one error, I can see no reason why he would change his usual approach to prescribing next time around. He just needs to get the prescription right! :-) Given that he manages that, why would the pharmacist countermand the prescription? It might be prudent for him to check the quantity if he thinks it could be an error, but I'd have thought that if the doctor says that in his judgement the amount is appropriate, his decision would be what governs. Unless, of course, the DoH have issued further guidance on prescribing under the new government, with the intention of reducing costs. I expect it will get sorted out amicably in the end, without curtailing your travel arrangements. In the meantime, have a good trip. The Pharmacist is recently qualified...he told me that himself. However when i took the prescription in i purposely asked "is this ok now" and was told yes. They had the damn things for 2 weeks knowing he couldn't issue....and made no attempt to contact me. It's not very difficult...my address is on the prescription and i only live in a village! I'm not on insulin Brian. That was a person i mentioned who i know who has 6 months given her in one lot lennyhb - 2015-06-19 4:21 PM For my regular blood pressure tablets I put the repeat prescriptions in a couple of weeks early each time & gradually build up a stock, needed some new medication recently told the Doc I had a couple of trips planned he gave me 4 months supply. Although 2 months is the norm it all comes down to the individual Doc. At this rate i'll end up with blood pressure!! 747 - 2015-06-19 4:33 PM My Doctor issues 2 x 3 month prescriptions for Statins. I get 2 months supply of eye drops. Both are repeat prescriptions. My Doctor is very strict and strait laced. Therefore I am confident that he is not breaking or bending any rules. If he can do it and others can not, the 'can not's' are 'will not's' by choice. Change your Doctor or complain formally. There are Jobsworths in every walk of life. If the drugs are not repeat ones or you are liable to regular checks for adjustment ..... then you must live with what the Doctor decides. I can't change my GP. I live in a village and there is only one surgery. Anyway i've finally got them today so will have to get on to my GP when i come back but it does seem the max he will allow will be 3 month. My medication is repeat but they are neither dangerous nor addictive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I applied on line for a repeat prescription this morning and it has been accepted so should be for 3 months, I hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchman Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hi bullet! I'm in same boat, going fulltiming and wont be back until next May. My gp has given me six months , which she says is the maximum she allowed to give. She then suggests when due again, order presciptions online to be delivered to local chemist and get my daughter in law to pick them up and send them out to me as i know i'll be on same site for at least a month. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 StuartO will be incandescent :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 hallii - 2015-06-17 4:20 PM I get 2 months at a time, but I have learned that busy GPs don't seem to check how long ago you had the previous script, at least a couple of weeks goes unnoticed. So I just get them early and build up a stock ready for hols. Problem sorted. H That's what I do as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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