Cycling UK Forum

Gunnislake Health Centre ................ ill health centre? ................ has now got an automatic prescription dispenser outside the front of the place. Register with the NHS app, and order your prescription. They send you a text with a six digit code to go there 24/7 to collect it.
No waiting, no queues.

This morning, I received a text, and I went there and collected mine.
Simple and easy and quick and a pleasure to use.

We can buy train tickets, draw cash from bank accounts, buy petrol, and lots of stuff just on a simple PIN number.
It's been far too long until the NHS came into Century 21 for basic repeat prescriptions.

No doubt you lot in the rest of CUK Land, have had this system for ages, but it's new (and welcome) to us.

Mick F wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 4:55pm Gunnislake Health Centre ................ ill health centre? ................ has now got an automatic prescription dispenser outside the front of the place. Register with the NHS app, and order your prescription. They send you a text with a six digit code to go there 24/7 to collect it.
No waiting, no queues.

This morning, I received a text, and I went there and collected mine.
Simple and easy and quick and a pleasure to use.

We can buy train tickets, draw cash from bank accounts, buy petrol, and lots of stuff just on a simple PIN number.
It's been far too long until the NHS came into Century 21 for basic repeat prescriptions.

No doubt you lot in the rest of CUK Land, have had this system for ages, but it's new (and welcome) to us.

That seems quite primitive. My prescriptions are just sent to a chemist of choice, no need to visit the doctors.

Sounds dodgy to me. How many dispensing slots does it have? What stops you getting into the wrong slot so you collect someone else's medicines by mistake. We (Mrs RJB I leave it to her to order mine too) can order online and collect a couple of days later from the village health centre. No fag packet machines involved. How do those online delivery systems work for prescriptions. Who pays for it.? Judging by some of the medicines dispensed from our health centre they would have to be big enough for a shopping basket delivery.

Toffee wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:04pm ...
My prescriptions are just sent to a chemist of choice, no need to visit the doctors.

Any successful system will include the preference of the patient (or relevant carer etc.) And including delivery to home. Usual principle: Ask, don't assume.

Jonathan

Jdsk wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:08pm

Toffee wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:04pm ...
My prescriptions are just sent to a chemist of choice, no need to visit the doctors.

Any successful system will include the preference of the patient (or relevant carer etc.) And including delivery to home. Usual principle: Ask, don't assume.

Jonathan

Er what was I assuming? My perception this morning went to the chemist of my choice. I was very happy not to have to drive to the doctors. Seems to be a one up on Mick F

I'm confused here. Are we taking about a machine like those Amazon boxes outside supermarkets which dispense your medicines or a machine which dispenses your paper prescription. A machine which dispenses a paper prescription seems pointless if you then have to travel elsewhere to a chemist. Our health centre has a dispensary which supplies our medicines. Although I don't understand why they can't supply items that Mrs RJB had been given a prescription for at the hospital. The dispenser at the health centre informed her this is a dispensary not a pharmacy. What's the difference ?

Toffee wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:18pm

Jdsk wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:08pm

Toffee wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:04pm ...
My prescriptions are just sent to a chemist of choice, no need to visit the doctors.

Any successful system will include the preference of the patient (or relevant carer etc.) And including delivery to home. Usual principle: Ask, don't assume.

Er what was I assuming? My perception this morning went to the chemist of my choice. I was very happy not to have to drive to the doctors. Seems to be a one up on Mick F

I don't think you were assuming anything. I was agreeing with you about different people wanting different methods and the importance of including that in the planning. Thanks for adding that to the discussion.

Jonathan

rjb wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:07pm What stops you getting into the wrong slot so you collect someone else's medicines by mistake.

True story

I managed to get someone else's medication, dispensed to me by my REGULAR chemist.

Ordered via the NHS app. Got txt 'Med's ready to pick up' Went to the chemist, gave my name and address and was given a bag of God knows what. Both myself and the intended recipient had identical surnames but I'm an Ian and he was an Iain. I can confirm that Iain did not live at my address.

On returning the med's the chemist was horrified and apologised profusely. Human error. Avoid humans...

I will spare you the details of how I know this but, three months later Iain administered my covid booster jab.

rjb wrote: ↑26 Jun 2023, 5:07pm Sounds dodgy to me. How many dispensing slots does it have? What stops you getting into the wrong slot so you collect someone else's medicines by mistake. We (Mrs RJB I leave it to her to order mine too) can order online and collect a couple of days later from the village health centre. No fag packet machines involved.

That sounds similar to here and it's pretty poor because it's two villages further away from town and you can only collect 8.45-6.30 M-F except Tuesdays pm. Anyone from this village who works a traditional 9-5.30 in town must either drive or train there after work or get someone else to collect their meds. It might just be possible by bike with a favourable wind, but maybe not because you'd be slowed at most of the cycle crossings by the rush hour traffic. Probably as a consequence, there's usually a queue after 5.

A click+collect machine would be a massive improvement in freeing up people's evenings and reducing stress.

Out chemist is 50 feet from the surgery. The prescriptions are picked up at the chemist. I believe it is the low tech solution of one of the chemist staff walking across a couple of times a day. Works for us.

We'll be in the village later today, and I'll take a photograph.
Basically, there is a big unit, with a screen and big numbered buttons.
Put in the PIN that they texted, and your prescription drops into the hopper behind a wide horizontal glass door. You push the door inwards, and pick your stuff out.
Door drops shut, and you walk away.

Other than that, you went to the dispensary and waited in a queue whilst the dispenser person digs your stuff out from a box, and hands it over to you over the counter. They ask you for your first line of your address before it's handed over. You could be waiting half an hour in the queue!

To do it at the dispensary, you have to be there during opening hours and that's only from Mon to Fri minus bank holidays. Using the machine, you could pick your prescription up at any time of the day or night seven days a week. It's a great boon to people who work and commute for instance, or dog-walkers or cyclists too just whilst you're passing.

Sounds like Cornwall is getting more advanced than England!

Al

How very 20th Century

Dosent sound that secure. What stops some passing chancer exiting the Queen's Head trying some random numbers to see if they get lucky, and waving to the security camera when they hit the jackpot.

I think that the system used at Gunnislake is MedPoint:
https://medpointuk.com

Jonathan