flatpopely
Prog Rock/Moderator
GP and Pharmacy as one for us, Stillington.
Both superb.
Both superb.
Are other pharmacies available? Could you do it on-line in some way? Or by post?First off, our pharmacy, part of the GP surgery, struggles with staff. Today there was only one working there, used to be four I think. It’s a good surgery, well regarded.
But. When I turn up to collect a prescription, if I see a queue of one is already there, I’m filled with dread. Today there were four people in front of me, and nobody behind the counter for about five minutes. When they returned, their hands were empty. More questions for the bloke at the window wanting his one prescription. Another two minutes and he was sorted, gone.
The next victims were sorted quickly, then my turn. I gave my name, the appropriate draw was opened, nope, not in there. A minute or so later after some searching somewhere round the back, it was handed to me.
The community nurse behind me said she’s in there twice a day, with a tight schedule for her visits. Going to the pharmacy makes her late for the rest of the day.
Everyone is always polite, but I almost went all Alan Ford today (sweary):
monkfish I read your message whilst taking my daily Verapramil also for A-F. I had the procedure to fix it in the hospital and it worked but with Covid and NHS strikes I am now very low priority to get signed off and will be taking the meds for another 6 months before my appointment to get signed off.
I hope your A-F is now under control/fixed and good luck for the future.
Ahem. Not every old person. I’ve seen my GP just once in more than a decade, and that was for a prostate exam. Although with hindsight, maybe that was his way of deterring me from going back... and I’ve certainly never had a repeat prescription, unless you count the one with the Wine Society.I dread the day both the GP surgery and Pharmacy become a thing in my life, managed to avoid it so far but all old people seem to do is spend half their lives in either or both.
^^^^^^ totally agree, I’ve heard this sorry tale first hand for many a year.My wife is a locum pharmacist. She's been coming home for years complaining about shortages of staff, a failure to substitute for colleagues on leave or sickness. Over time, funding by government has diminished resulting in some pharmacy chains closing and at least in one case moving to Scotland where the income is better.
More and more work and fewer staff and locum rates continue to reduce despite ever more demanding workload. Yes pay reduces - so no pay rises for inflation - actual reductions in hourly rate. THis is due to govt underfunding. More services are taken on, like vaccinations and various health checks with pressure from managers on pharmacists to provide them. They bring in a little additional money from the govt.
Recently, the government decided it would be a grand idea to send patients to pharmacies for a new set of conditions. My wife is now expected to prescribe antibiotics for patients including young children. So try to imagine you are already most days juggling a huge workload with missing colleagues and a whole new set of patients being sent by 101 etc to you for treatment. Each one involves time consuming administration on poorly designed software. While you are arguing with the young woman insisting on antibiotics, the queue for other services and medicine checks is growing. People are coming in from the surgery next door complaing their prescriptions made out 10 minutes ago aren't ready. Many think a pharmacy is like a sweet shop where pharmacist merely pours out the tablets, not understanding that the doctors often make mistakes and this is the last line of defence. Pharmacists can of course be sued.
Then there are phone calls from people misplacing medicines and calls to surguries where a doctors needs to be contacted.
Then there are the drug addicts who come in, often very impatient and abusive. They have to be supervised when they have methodone for instance so they don't sell it on.
Then there's the study time. My wife has to pass regular online tests involving a lot of unpaid study time. She literally disappears for days.
Mostly now my wife works one or two days a week. She used to manage a pharmacy. I doubt many jobs pay so little for so much knowledge, responsibility and hard work. For a person so dedicated to the patients it is a disgrace. I would advise anyone with a son or daughter planning a career as a community pharmacist to think again.
That's a very worrying story. It seems to be yet another example of how the work of public service professionals is being made slowly impossible to do. Running a country with so many essential services on a knife-edge is really stupid.My wife is a locum pharmacist. She's been coming home for years complaining about shortages of staff, a failure to substitute for colleagues on leave or sickness. Over time, funding by government has diminished resulting in some pharmacy chains closing and at least in one case moving to Scotland where the income is better.
More and more work and fewer staff and locum rates continue to reduce despite ever more demanding workload. Yes pay reduces - so no pay rises for inflation - actual reductions in hourly rate. THis is due to govt underfunding. More services are taken on, like vaccinations and various health checks with pressure from managers on pharmacists to provide them. They bring in a little additional money from the govt.
Recently, the government decided it would be a grand idea to send patients to pharmacies for a new set of conditions. My wife is now expected to prescribe antibiotics for patients including young children. So try to imagine you are already most days juggling a huge workload with missing colleagues and a whole new set of patients being sent by 101 etc to you for treatment. Each one involves time consuming administration on poorly designed software. While you are arguing with the young woman insisting on antibiotics, the queue for other services and medicine checks is growing. People are coming in from the surgery next door complaing their prescriptions made out 10 minutes ago aren't ready. Many think a pharmacy is like a sweet shop where pharmacist merely pours out the tablets, not understanding that the doctors often make mistakes and this is the last line of defence. Pharmacists can of course be sued.
Then there are phone calls from people misplacing medicines and calls to surguries where a doctors needs to be contacted.
Then there are the drug addicts who come in, often very impatient and abusive. They have to be supervised when they have methodone for instance so they don't sell it on.
Then there's the study time. My wife has to pass regular online tests involving a lot of unpaid study time. She literally disappears for days.
Mostly now my wife works one or two days a week. She used to manage a pharmacy. I doubt many jobs pay so little for so much knowledge, responsibility and hard work. For a person so dedicated to the patients it is a disgrace. I would advise anyone with a son or daughter planning a career as a community pharmacist to think again.
My wife is a locum pharmacist. She's been coming home for years complaining about shortages of staff, a failure to substitute for colleagues on leave or sickness. Over time, funding by government has diminished resulting in some pharmacy chains closing and at least in one case moving to Scotland where the income is better.
More and more work and fewer staff and locum rates continue to reduce despite ever more demanding workload. Yes pay reduces - so no pay rises for inflation - actual reductions in hourly rate. THis is due to govt underfunding. More services are taken on, like vaccinations and various health checks with pressure from managers on pharmacists to provide them. They bring in a little additional money from the govt.
Recently, the government decided it would be a grand idea to send patients to pharmacies for a new set of conditions. My wife is now expected to prescribe antibiotics for patients including young children. So try to imagine you are already most days juggling a huge workload with missing colleagues and a whole new set of patients being sent by 101 etc to you for treatment. Each one involves time consuming administration on poorly designed software. While you are arguing with the young woman insisting on antibiotics, the queue for other services and medicine checks is growing. People are coming in from the surgery next door complaing their prescriptions made out 10 minutes ago aren't ready. Many think a pharmacy is like a sweet shop where pharmacist merely pours out the tablets, not understanding that the doctors often make mistakes and this is the last line of defence. Pharmacists can of course be sued.
Then there are phone calls from people misplacing medicines and calls to surguries where a doctors needs to be contacted.
Then there are the drug addicts who come in, often very impatient and abusive. They have to be supervised when they have methodone for instance so they don't sell it on.
Then there's the study time. My wife has to pass regular online tests involving a lot of unpaid study time. She literally disappears for days.
Mostly now my wife works one or two days a week. She used to manage a pharmacy. I doubt many jobs pay so little for so much knowledge, responsibility and hard work. For a person so dedicated to the patients it is a disgrace. I would advise anyone with a son or daughter planning a career as a community pharmacist to think again.