Does anyone else in the UK have to constantly jump through hoops to get their ostomy supplies despite their stoma not going anywhere?
I am constantly chasing doctors for prescription approvals. Why on earth must it be reapproved every month when I've had a stoma for nearly 4 years?
Once upon a time I could just order what I needed when I needed it from Coloplast charter. Now I'm always waiting and chasing.
No. I know it depends on the area you live in how you have to order repeat prescriptions. My GP practice doesn't have anything to do with repeat prescriptions. I order mine through Patient Access online, and they send it straight to my local pharmacy, as that's where I choose to get my ostomy products from. I put my latest order in last Thursday night and had a text from my pharmacy Saturday morning saying it was ready to collect.
Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 38,079 members who truly understand you.
When it comes to ostomy, members share DIY hacks to save money, product comparisons, practical advice on insurance and medical coverage advice, information on new products to make life easier, and much more.
But, it's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice or to give advice, others have found good friends, and some have even found love. Most importantly, people here are honest and genuinely care.
🛑 Privacy is very important - we have many features that are only visible to members.
Create an account and you will be amazed by the warmth of this community.
38,079 members
I think the problem might be with your GP surgery. I use Coloplast Charter and they are very quick and efficient at sending the order. However, they always explain that they need to get the prescription authorised by the surgery before they can ship it. I therefore presume that my surgery is quick at doing their bit.
Best wishes
Bill
I use Respond for my supplies. I send my orders electronically, but the problem is when they have no stock, nobody contacts me. There have been times when I've been down to 3 pouches.
I am in the UK and the company my NHS provider uses is Fittleworth. I had problems for months, waiting weeks for delivery with no notification. On calling the company, they always said it was due to difficulty obtaining the prescription from my GP. My stoma nurse then gave me the number of their liaison with Fittleworth and after speaking with her, every delivery has arrived on time. Could you speak to your stoma nurse about it? I know how incredibly stressful it is.
I ring Charter when I need my order - it is on my prescription - and I've never had an issue (so far...10 years)...live in Wales...
I'd been using Fittleworth but was not especially happy with them. It takes an age to get through to place an order and usually about 2 weeks to deliver. When challenged, they would always blame the GP. My surgery is always pretty fast at approving things and has never rejected a request for any of my stoma supplies.
I stopped Fittleworth and started using the local pharmacy I use for my meds. They can usually get what I need delivered within 3-5 days. They're within walking distance so if there's a problem, I can visit them in person. I like being able to support a local business too.
I have all my stoma prescriptions on the NHS app so I just order electronically, the surgery approves it and sends it over electronically to the pharmacy which saves time.
