Medicine repeat prescriptions.

My local GP surgery has a pharmacy attached which dispenses prescriptions, "what a brilliant idea, I hear you all cry," and in theory I have to agree with you, however in practice it doesn't work as flawlessly as one would hope.

I don't want to be overly critical but standards are slipping everywhere and sadly the repeat prescription system at my doctors is getting worse and worse. For the benefit of those of you who may be reading this and be lucky enough not to need any medication, I shall explain how the system works, or doesn't as the case may be.

One places a repeat prescription slip in a box at the surgery, where I assume a pharmacist dispenses the required potions, pills, or unctions and some time later one goes back and collects the medicine, it couldn't be any simpler.

When I first signed on with the doctor this system of requesting repeat medication was working like a charm, one would place the prescription in the box, three days before it was required and low and behold upon returning three days later, as if by magic, your medication was ready.

However over the years, even though the time specified for repeat prescriptions stated on the surgery website is still three days, it is never ready when you go to pick it up. I used to think I was a patient man, but unfortunately they have finally driven me to despair, no matter how much time you give them the prescription is never ready, I now put my request in with over a week to spare, still to no avail.

I'm wondering if there is something fishy going on here, has the pharmacy made a terrible faux pas and ordered sufficient high blood pressure pills for the next seventy years and in a vain attempt to shift the vast over stock, have devised this cunning plan. For every time I go to the surgery to collect my prescription I can feel my blood pressure rising and eventually when at the counter remonstrating with the surgery staff, it rises even further.

If the system for picking up repeat prescriptions continues to worsen, eventually they will have enough patients with high blood pressure to deplete the overstock of pills, I could, of course be completely wrong with my theory.

It may be that they are telling the truth when explaining why the prescription is never ready, as it's the same excuse every month, "oh, they've been very busy." 

All I can say is I wish they had been "very busy," doing my prescription.