Pharmacies struggling to get some drugs.

Okta said:
Has been about 1 year since I was last able to get one of my items, fortunately not one my life depends on.

Our pharmacy now only prescribes 1 month supply on any new repeat prescriptions, previously it was 2 months. Apparently this is a new cost saving procedure introduced by the NHS. How the ————— is this supposed to save money? It means the Doctor has to authorise prescriptions twice as often and the Pharmacist has to process them twice as often. Doubles the paperwork too. I can see that it might slightly improve the NHS cash flow but this is an accountants idea of a cost saving, what it really means is extra work for everyone else.
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The cost of drugs wastage to the NHS is staggeringly high, so, limiting the potential losses that arise because of patient deaths, adverse reactions such as the 'Ramipril cough' and n number of problems with patients needing to change to a different statin is a very pragmatic cost saving process. My January 2023 mini stroke occurred the week after I had received my 2 months prescription renewal, and involved the binning of 3 boxes each of Omeprazole, Aspirin and Ezetemibe

Steve
 
marchie said:
The cost of drugs wastage to the NHS is staggeringly high, so, limiting the potential losses that arise because of patient deaths, adverse reactions such as the 'Ramipril cough' and n number of problems with patients needing to change to a different statin is a very pragmatic cost saving process. My January 2023 mini stroke occurred the week after I had received my 2 months prescription renewal, and involved the binning of 3 boxes each of Omeprazole, Aspirin and Ezetemibe

Steve
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Ok but have they costed doubling the work of the medical staff involved in repeat prescriptions into this equation? I very much doubt it. They certainly haven’t allowed for me having to drive an extra 15 miles to pick the medication up. My repeat prescriptions have changed once in 10 years and I am only planning on dying once in a lifetime.
 
Okta said:
Ok but have they costed doubling the work of the medical staff involved in repeat prescriptions into this equation? I very much doubt it. They certainly haven’t allowed for me having to drive an extra 15 miles to pick the medication up. My repeat prescriptions have changed once in 10 years and I am only planning on dying once in a lifetime.
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The NHS will have very little, if any, extra work costs associated with the switch to monthly prescriptions, because the staff are already on the payroll. At best, there is an 'opportunity cost' that means that that staff member could undertake another duty [such as typing NHS Test Result letters] instead of using the work time to issue repeat prescriptions, but in effect, this merely means that we, the patients, wait a little longer for the Test Result Letter etc, so the NHS incurs no extra cost. As far as your 15 mile drive is concerned, again the NHS does not incur any costs or burdens ...

But the cost savings from reducing drugs wastage are eye watering. And, quite apart from the cash savings in avoiding the destruction of over ordered drugs, the extra stock availability for patients who do need them every month, despite Supply Chain problems because of Brexit outcomes is a very tangible benefit

Steve
 
marchie said:
The NHS will have very little, if any, extra work costs associated with the switch to monthly prescriptions, because the staff are already on the payroll. At best, there is an 'opportunity cost' that means that that staff member could undertake another duty [such as typing NHS Test Result letters] instead of using the work time to issue repeat prescriptions, but in effect, this merely means that we, the patients, wait a little longer for the Test Result Letter etc, so the NHS incurs no extra cost. As far as your 15 mile drive is concerned, again the NHS does not incur any costs or burdens ...

But the cost savings from reducing drugs wastage are eye watering. And, quite apart from the cash savings in avoiding the destruction of over ordered drugs, the extra stock availability for patients who do need them every month, despite Supply Chain problems because of Brexit outcomes is a very tangible benefit

Steve
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I would rather have my GP and a Pharmacist‘s time spent on patients. Have you tried getting a face to face GP appointment recently or seen the queue in Boots waiting for the Pharmacist to process prescriptions. I will need to see the actual NHS savings on prescriptions offset by the extra time spent by other staff processing them before I am convinced.
 
Okta said:
I would rather have my GP and a Pharmacist‘s time spent on patients. Have you tried getting a face to face GP appointment recently or seen the queue in Boots waiting for the Pharmacist to process prescriptions. I will need to see the actual NHS savings on prescriptions offset by the extra time spent by other staff processing them before I am convinced.
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We are in Scotland and can get a same day appointment with a GP if we hit the phone at 8am exactly! I can only repeat that the NHS will incur only an opportunity cost [eg extra Patient Waiting Time], because the staff salary is a sunk cost, but there is a substantial cost saving on wastage on prescribed drugs, and an improved availability for patients generally if prescriptions are limited to 1 month instead of the previous 2 months.

I fear you will never be convinced, because your criterion of proof is unlikely to become publicy available

Steve
 
marchie said:
We are in Scotland and can get a same day appointment with a GP if we hit the phone at 8am exactly! I can only repeat that the NHS will incur only an opportunity cost [eg extra Patient Waiting Time], because the staff salary is a sunk cost, but there is a substantial cost saving on wastage on prescribed drugs, and an improved availability for patients generally if prescriptions are limited to 1 month instead of the previous 2 months.

I fear you will never be convinced, because your criterion of proof is unlikely to become publicy available

Steve
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The opportunity cost as you describe it is still a real cost because you are paying someone to do extra work instead of performing work that would help carry the service forward. No I will not be convinced until someone provides the full information instead of hiding behind an accountancy sleight of hand. Paying someone to do unnecessary extra work instead of catching up on their backlog is just as wasteful as paying for drugs that might occasionally be wasted. I will happily accept the change if someone can show a true saving not just a cash one.
 
marchie said:
But the cost savings from reducing drugs wastage are eye watering. And, quite apart from the cash savings in avoiding the destruction of over ordered drugs, the extra stock availability for patients who do need them every month, despite Supply Chain problems because of Brexit outcomes is a very tangible benefit
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A lot of drug shortages are down to NICE setting the price they are prepared to pay for medicine. When a drug runs short, manufacturers will supply higher paying customers first and the NHS loses out.
Drug wastage is high, but time spent switching patients to more cost effective medicines is time well spent. A couple of examples, our local surgery recently changed most patients on a liquid medicine to either a powder they add to water (50% saving) or if they can swallow a tablet (95% saving) This was the same drug from the same company. Annual saving for NHS from one surgery just over £22k. Switching patients from a named generic drug back to the original trade named drug can frequently save hundreds of pounds per patient per year. The pharmacist who works 1 day a week in our surgery saves in excess of her annual salary every month.
Although some people seem to think that a more cost effective drug is less effective, the truth is that pharmaceutical companies will price medicines low to build up demand, then increase the price substantially. This does lead to people being changed from medicine A to medicine B, then later being changed back to medicine A. Crazy, but the savings for the NHS are significant.
 
We have no troubles with prescription or appointments in and around Bulkington and nuneaton.
Still getting 2 months at a time.

And you can buy loads of drugs in bedworth. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
nabsim said:
No but lack of them can. I have to have them before dentist can do anything at the moment
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That's what I said diddle I.

No (IE) none will kill you.
 
maingate said:
Sorry to pick you up on this but you are only entitled to be negative about the NHS and the UK Government. Don't you watch the News?

You can expect a knock on the door soon. :ROFLMAO:
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They probably won’t knock but they will say “Bonjour Monsieur” whilst cuffing you.😀
 
maingate said:
Sorry to pick you up on this but you are only entitled to be negative about the NHS and the UK Government. Don't you watch the News?

You can expect a knock on the door soon. :ROFLMAO:
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I regret that there is insufficient challenge to contemplate a hargument.
 
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