Should I Go Private to get a Prescription Review?

Posted by InterestingCloud3357@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 28 comments

Hello! Wondering what others thoughts and experiences are. It’s about the NHS again! We’ve just moved and registered with our local doctors, and both of us need a prescription review to start getting repeat prescriptions for our medications. This was never an issue at our old practice, you’d call, make an appointment which was usually far in advance and they’d do another repeat to cover you. No problem. Our new practice doesn’t do advance appointments. You have to call 8:30 for same day and 2:30pm for future appointments. It’s been several weeks (not including Christmas) and no appointments available. Receptionists keep saying just to try again. Partner has managed to get an emergency prescription via NHS 111 but we can’t go on like that. I was thinking of going private, BUPA? Does anyone have any experience with a private approach to getting their prescriptions checked and administered? Starting to panic if I’m honest, and miss our old practice!

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28 Comments

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complacencyfirst@reddit

Can you try a different nhs practice in the area first? I've found they all operate with different systems

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811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit

Go private and you'll be paying private rates for your prescriptions. Can't you get a same-day, on the phone appointment?

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InterestingCloud3357@reddit (OP)

Nope, you have to call at 8:30 on the dot and every time by the time I’ve got through all appointments are gone. It’s insane! But you’re right. Just not sure what else to do!

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Dull-Wrangler-5154@reddit

Sounds like every GP in Northern Ireland. Where are?

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811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit

Personally (Although my GPs sound better than this!) I would try to get appointments a few times at 8.30.. then phone during the day after 11 when it's quieter, and explain the situation. You may not need a GP; they can sometimes get a pharmacist to call you to confirm the prescriptions and review them. Now if they can't sort it, I would ask to speak to the practice manager. If you can't speak to them, then I'd look at raising a complaint to the practice (good their site, there will be info).

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frankchester@reddit

You wouldn't necessarily be paying private rates for the prescription. Just having a private GP they can still issue the prescription note and you can collect it from a normal pharmacy at the standard cost/free.

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jugsmacguyver@reddit

I don't think private GPs can issue NHS prescriptions. You still take it to the pharmacy but you pay the "book" cost for the meds, not the NHS rate. Sometimes this is cheaper but sometimes horribly more expensive! I seem to remember a private antihistamine prescription costing me about £90!

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frankchester@reddit

Oh really? I'm sure I only paid the standard rate for a prescription when I got a private one. I don't get them very often though. I wonder why that time it was different?

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Violet351@reddit

I saw a dermatologist privately and they didn’t issue the prescription because I’d have to pay full price, they sent a letter to my doctor with a list of items I needed and they had to prescribe them

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jugsmacguyver@reddit

Mine was from a private immunologist and it was an off label quantity of antihistamines (four times a day instead of once!). My GP was awesome and did me an NHS prescription. He wasn't able to provide the quantity I needed but he said he would just issue a new prescription for the rest after the first batch ran out. I had really weird hives that wouldn't go away so I think part of him just wanted to see if it would work 😂

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Violet351@reddit

Mine was only twice a day!

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hyper-casual@reddit

It was probably just a cheaper item so you didn't notice. I have a couple of private prescriptions and they're actually cheaper than an NHS prescription, but I do have to pay for them to be issued so it's ultimately more expensive.

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sunkathousandtimes@reddit

It might have been that the item actually cost around the same as the prescription charge. But otherwise, if you take a private prescription to a pharmacist, you’ll pay private costs. You can ask a GP to convert a private prescription to a NHS one so you pay the NHS fee, but IIRC there is no obligation to do it and they can require you to book an appointment and only prescribe it after consultation. I used to get private prescriptions from my psychiatrist so had occasions where I tried to collect a private script at the pharmacy and was horrified at the private cost.

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CrowApprehensive204@reddit

Phone once more and tell them you want to make a complaint, escalate to practice manager next, then CCG. Do they not have an online thing where you can email for prescriptions or via the NHS app? My previous gp was one of those phone on the day jobs, even if there had been an appointment available, I can't just drop everything and walk out of work for what should be a routine consultation. By the time I complained and actually got to see the gp I was raging, ended up on blood pressure tablets and referred for a routine scan that then triggered a 2ww gynae appt. Fewmin mate. Changed surgery after that. Can't fault where I am now, all they ask is that you phone after 11am if it isn't urgent, reception send a message to the gp. If it is regarding medication I've previously had. I generally get a text telling me my prescription has been sent to pharmacy. Sometimes the gp or a practice nurse will call me.

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InterestingCloud3357@reddit (OP)

Hi, yeah, as we’ve just joined we need a medication review with a doctor before we can do the usual repeat prescription thing. But thank you, I’ll just have to prepare for war then!

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Lessarocks@reddit

Can you not do it online? I just go on to the NHS app and request my repeat prescription and later the same day , it’s with my pharmacy. I have an annual medication review with blood tests. I just call up to make a blood test appointment - can do this at any time - and an appointment for the meds review - again can do this at any time. The meds reviews are with the in house clinical pharmacist and they will only involve my GP if the results are abnormal.

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sunkathousandtimes@reddit

I’d just try to switch to a different surgery, unless this is the only one in your area (but then it’s unlikely you’d have close access to a private doctor). Not all surgeries operate on this basis, so you should be able to find something with more suitable practices. Personally, I would do that before spending ££££ on a private consultation and private prescription - depending on your meds, they may be more expensive than the NHS prescription charge and you’ll have to pay the private cost. There is also no guarantee that a GP will automatically carry over that repeat prescription - they can have their own policies about repeats and might require a consultation anyway. I’ve moved house a *lot* and had this experience.

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Pegasus2022@reddit

My gp pharmacist phones me to check everything is okay, i than order my prescription for home delivery with asda pharamcist

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Hazeygazey@reddit

Medication reviews are not usually carried out by gps Phone the reception during the day and ask them to organise a medication review for you.

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dth300@reddit

Try your pharmacy. They may be able to do a prescription review. You could also put a formal complaint in to the surgery and/or [Healthwatch](https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/help-make-complaint)

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JK_UKA@reddit

Moving practices might be better in the long run but a lot of them can be very similar: how are you going to get an appointment when you actually need to be seen by a doctor if you can even get one for a pharmacist. My new doctors arranged an appointment for me when I moved and the pharmacist phoned within a week. your situation is clearly untenable.

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jugsmacguyver@reddit

My GP have a pharmacist who calls me to do my prescription reviews. If it's ongoing meds with no changes or concerns it's worth asking if this is an option. Even if you have concerns they can probably speak to the GP to get you seen.

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femalefred@reddit

Does your gp offer e consults? They ought to be able to do the prescription review if so and are normally available same day even if in person have gone as it's generally run through a separate service like Livi

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blood_oranges@reddit

I'd see first if there's another nhs surgery you could move too with a different appointment booking system, otherwise this will keep happening!

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Repulsive_State_7399@reddit

Do you have to stay at that doctors? There are usually a few in the same area. If you can't get a repeat prescription what are they going to be like if you really need them?

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WillingApplication10@reddit

It’s hard to say, when I moved GP they were happy to give me the repeats I had from my last practice without seeing me for any review. Maybe email them and explain, or even register with a different go locally if you have the option? My last practice was awful with repeat prescriptions though. I’d go through their website AND leave a message on their phone system and it would just never arrive at the pharmacy, and there was not really anywhere else nearby. So I used the superdrug online doctor to get my medicines. They have a chat with you and the medicines are delivered to your house. It was not expensive. The availability of this will probably vary depending on the medicine you need, but probably less of a faff than full on bupa options?

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Flaramon@reddit

A private opinion won't be upheld by an NHS doctor. They'd have to come to that conclusion themselves. If you go private, you'll have to stay private to benefit from their advice.

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