Boots - that nanny-like, avuncular, pie-in-the sky, expensive appalling pharmacy has always been on our list for up against the wall come the revolution, but we've always had the choice of avoiding their patronising piles. As the company, however, slowly but inexorably swallows up the pharmaceutical minnows in a continuous and unending feeding frenzy, however, our choice steadily diminishes, and our only recourse is then to call into the pill palace from hell.
Their latest 'improvement' is the 'repeat prescription' service. Now, a couple of our family have continually repeating medicinal needs, and - two years ago - our local surgery introduced us to Emis - the online prescription, appointment and re-ordering facility. Now, Emis got off to a rocky start it has to be said, often going off-line when the surgery was closed (although we secretly suspect some well meaning Health worker was dutifully shutting everything down when they left for the day, forgetting that the main point about an online service is its 24/7 availability). However, for the past 12 months it has run impeccably. All one had to do, to reorder a medication, was to log on, choose the medication, then press 'reorder'. The surgery would pass the request to the relevant GP, the prescription would then be passed to the pharmacy - previously 'Lloyds, who would send round someone to collect it, and we would pick it up from there it from there a day or so later. This time, however, we were telephoned by a nice lady who told us that they no longer pass them over to Boots. Instead, we'd have to register (again) for Boots' 'repeat prescription service'. On the pamphlet, Boots says
"Our free Repeat Prescription Service gives you a convenient way to get your repeat medicine. What's more our service is flexible enough to suit your needs and best of all it's free! You can sign up for our time saving Repeat Prescription Service either online or in store. Register for our Repeat Prescription Service and your Boots Pharmacy Team will collect your repeat prescription from your doctor and arrange to have it waiting for you to collect on your next visit.".
But it's not that simple. First off, you can't do this over the internet any more. You now have to 'phone Boots. So that costs a phone call, when using the internet wouldn't. Second, you have to go through the registration process, so the pharmacy has all your details. But in a small community, you might not want the pharmacy staff to know all about your medical needs. Thirdly - and most worrying - they say
"We'll order your repeat prescription from the surgery, collect it for you and have it ready and waiting for you when you next visit us."but that's what used to happen, expect it was easier. And this is inserting an extra layer between you and the GP, thus increasing the possibility of error. Finally, they have the unmitigated gall to add
"PLUS as a regular user of our free Repeat Prescription Service, you'll be able to benefit from a free consultation with our pharmacist. Here you'll be able to ask any questions you have about the medicines you are taking to make sure you're getting the most from them."For God's sake, why? If I have any queries about medication, I ask the GP. Why on earth would I actually get something from the GP without knowing what it was, what it was for, and how to use it? And why on earth would I trust a pharmacist to know more about my medication than the GP who'd prescribed it?
For years, Boots has seen itself as leading the charge against choice; not only are they expensive, but they take it upon themselves to go the extra mile in responding to the knee-jerk reactive politics of the government by subjecting customers to an interrogation when they buy anything which could remotely be used to harm.
Some years ago, would-be suicides were able to buy 500 paracetamol at one go. Now, using paracetamol to end your life is not easy; it's a very prolonged and unpleasant death and there are - frankly - much easier ways to shuffle off this mortal coil. However, that's not really the point. If someone wants to kill themselves, surely they ought to be allowed to do it? After all, it is their life and they're most unlikely to be recidivists. What right does the government - or anyone, come to that - have for restricting the sale of mild analgesics simply because someone, somewhere just might want to take an overdose? But the government, whose policy making in response to articles in the DFM knows no bounds, has steadily applied pressure to pharmacies to ascertain whether those buying such items are planning mass suicides or simply have a bad headache. The result is that Boots have transformed the experience of buying any analgesic into something similar to what convicted child molesters might experience if they were staked out in a Branch of Toys R Us with a large placard tied around their necks proclaiming their proclivities for all to see.
However, it's bad enough trying to convince the humourless servitor behind the counter that the four containers of baby powder you're attempting to buy are not materials for some new type of fusion weapon and that you're not a closet member of some new terrorist group planning the mass destruction of anti-perspirant producers everywhere, without having to put up with a reduction in the quality of service you're used to from your GP and having the company dress it up as an improvement. GPs are - generally - good at their job. They've had at least seven long years of training to do it, and they usually get it right. Pharmacists are cooks; they do know something about how their preparations work, but in the main they follow a simple recipe to put it together. They are not subject to the detailed training of the GP and - having known several - decent and intelligent folk that they are, the average intelligent patient can find out more after half an hour on the internet than they can from the Pharmacist. And if they can't they could try reading the instructions that come with the tablets.
Anyone know of an independent chemist?
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