Streamlined UK Prescription Service: Faster and Online

I had a recent email from my ostomy supplier; it's a new system between me, my doctor, and them, and it seems to work. Postage Snail Mail has now been eliminated, and it's all done online.

I print off my own prescription at home and pop it into a box at the doctor's. (5 min drive) My doctors then email my prescription/order to my suppliers (Charter Healthcare). When they get the order/permission to supply, they box it up and send it directly to me via Parcel Force.

As I say, so far it's working. From prescription to delivery, it is now only taking 5 days, not the 10 days (complete with occasional mild panic) that it has been taking.

It's about time I had something positive to say about the British NHS and my doctor's surgery.

Hello vulcanBMk2.

I'm pleased to hear that your new system is working.

 I have been ordering my supplies online  via the GP for some time now but have not had the same sort of positive outcome.  It worked for the first couple of times and the goods came from Charter Healthcare in a reasonable time. However, the time between putting in my prescription and getting the good then extended to such an extent that i had to ring Charter to ask them to send emergency supplies. (samples) Charter said they had not recieved the prescription and my doctor's said that it had been sent! (who then do you believe?)  I then explained to the receptionist at the doctors that this had caused me great concern and that I would collect the prescription myself and send it by first-class post so that I could track it. The next time I went to collect the prescription I was told that it had already been sent to Charter. The saga began again whereby I was down to only one day's supply before I telephoned Charter to explain that I cannot do with these supplies. - Fortunately they arrived the next day by special delivery. 

It is very difficult to ascertain where the problem lies but it is disproportionately distressing each time I begin to run out of supplies. Partly it's because the GP will not allow me to ask for a prescription for some of the goods so I have been waiting until I can put in for the whole order.  This time I have put in an order for the essentials only, so that I can perhaps build up a buffer of spares for these items.

I expect it will all sort itself out eventually but in the meantime I intend to do a bit more experiementing to see if I  can invent alternatives to the present system of disposable items. I did have some prototypes in the past but none of them really did the job as well as the manufactured items.

Best wishes Bill

Hello Vulcan.

Just an update on my previous post.

I spent the best part of yesterday making a new device (upgrading the best of my last attempts) which will allow me to reuse the dansac irrigation sleeves and thus circumvent the possibility of running out of disposable ones in future.  The device worked perfectly!!

Now I can report that the prescription order that I PUT IN JUST TWO DAYS AGO is being processed by Charter Healthcare as we speak---

proving beyond a doubt that my two-line rhyme is just in time.

"SYSTEMS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BREAK DOWN

 IF THERE'S NO ALTERNATIVE IN TOWN!"

Best wishes

Bill

Well done, Bill, "Necessity being the mother of invention." I'm a urostomy patient, and on one occasion, I was wearing my last URO bag, and it was Sunday. My supplier told me that my order was not even being dispatched until Monday, so, switching off "Mild Panic" mode, I drove to my local hospital where my operation had been done 6 years previously. I knew that the Stoma department would be closed, as nothing works in the NHS on weekends. I then managed to find the ward where I had undergone my Radical Cystectomy operation, recovery, and actually found a nurse on duty. On explaining to her my predicament, she then went to a store cupboard and returned with a box of 10 one-piece Uro pouches. What a wonderful lady, no questions asked, with great thanks, I was on my way, panic over! But proof that the system does break down.

I am still working on a DIY drainage spout that I can use by just using my pants' zip, without having to drop my pants to complete the emptying process... I'll keep you informed.

Stay well, Pete.

Hello Vulcan.

It's so good to hear that the 'personal' approach can still work - even in the NHS. I had a similar experience when I kept running out of incontinence pads (yes! - I still have to wear these - what a bummer!) I went to the inco- nurse and she immediately gave me a box of them with no further questions.  She also altered my prescription without reference to my GP and I now get double the previous qualtity and so do not run out.

With regard to your own problem. Most of my 'clients' with incontinence of urine have a drainable bag strapped to just above the the ankle. All I have to do is lift their leg over the toilet and turn on the little plastic tap. Hey presto! the bag empties without the hassle of removing any clothing.

Would something along those lines be of any assistance in your case?  I feel sure that these drainable bags could be located almost anywhere. Also it occured to me that the same principle could be applied with the stoma bag. It could be adapted to have a long tube with a tap on the end.   Personally I always try to to see what others have already invented before spending a lot of effort racking my brains to come up with something that might already exist.

Best wishes  Bill 

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

You are lucky.

I am having constant panic attacks due to my GP surgery curtailing my ileostomy supplies! They don't seem to realize that there is no consistency in the way an ileostomy works, and it is impossible to stick to a set number of items. This is causing me great distress, and I am going to write to my MP when I feel up to it and can conquer the embarrassment.

Yes, I have heard that due to cuts in GP's budgets, they can get a little snotty about spending money on items that they don't seem to understand.

I often wonder if most GPs don't even know what a stoma is and that it can be uro, colosto, or ileo.

I realize that not all of them earn £97,000 PA and drive around in large Mercedes Benz (but a lot of them do!!)

Hi Vulcan,

I use a company called Fittleworth. They give me a call every month to see what I need and, hey presto, 10-12 days later I have my stoma supplies. They contact my surgery for the script and do everything else. I also had to contact them while on holiday in Canada as I had so many leaks; two days later, I had a box of supplies delivered to my hotel free of charge. Now that's what I call good service!

It's a familiar story, but I would say lately things seem to be better. I think my script gets sent electronically now, which speeds up the process. The last time I had trouble, I went to the surgery with a bag of stuff and offered to give a demonstration of a bag change at the desk.