MURs- How to do them as Interventions

[Zoggite]

Originally Posted by Linnear

I had a couple that had spent three hours in casualty to have a Dr tell them to come to the pharmacy to buy Diclofenac and Co-Dydramol tabs because it would be cheaper!

How I laughed!

I bet they laughed even louder when you said "No way José!"
Of course, in my neck of the woods, there ain't many things left cheaper than the £3 prescription charge, and even that is due to be history in 8 months' time!

[admin]

Originally Posted by Zoggite

I bet they laughed even louder when you said "No way José!"
Of course, in my neck of the woods, there ain't many things left cheaper than the £3 prescription charge, and even that is due to be history in 8 months' time!

Zo

Don't you think that people have no respect and just waste stuff that is free? I hate to think how much wasted drugs there will be in wales if they get rid of the script charge.

Personally I'd charge everyone. Even if something costed only 10p, people would not order it if it cost them something.

[The Pill Counter]

Originally Posted by Zoggite

Twice this week the local surgery have sent holidaymakers to me with a request that I identify the inhaler that they had in their hand and wanted a script for because it had run out: if it is beyond the capabilities of a medical receptionist to read the word "Serevent" or "Ventolin" on a little gas canister, then GPs can hardly complain that we are taking away their work...! I remeber the battle I had trying to explain that 28 days' supply of napratec was actually 112 tablets, and that feldene dispersible and orodispersible weren't the same thing...
Pill Counter:when you are doing your MURs in a shop, are you the sole pharmacist there, or can you devote yourself to them without interruptions?

Zoggite when I was doing MURs I was second pharmacist for the session. We booked in people at 20 min intervals to try to make it cost-effective as it costs something like £26 to £28 per hour to do MURs for the employer. Do you note that I use 'was' a lot. Just heard today that job being made redundant as not economically viable. Congratulations to all the twerps who negotiated the New Contract.

[Zoggite]

Originally Posted by admin

Zo

Personally I'd charge everyone. Even if something costed only 10p, people would not order it if it cost them something.

That was my idea! You nicked my idea!

Originally Posted by admin

Don't you think that people have no respect and just waste stuff that is free? I hate to think how much wasted drugs there will be in wales if they get rid of the script charge.

True, very true; but, let's face it, the vast majority of drugs are prescribed to those who are currently already exempt anyway; besides, just think of the savings in time spent sorting out scripts into "exempt" and "non-exempt", the costs involved in issuing and policing all the exemption documents under the present system; No more fraudulent exemption claims, prescription "switching", "have you got your benefits book with you?" etc...
Your fears about "free equals worthless" mirror mine with regards to Minor ailments schemes: why are PCTs so keen to introduce schemes which make them spend the money to pay for a bottle of calpol, instead of the parents/patient?

[gaby]

Instead of free prescriptions why cant the low income people pay 50p it's about the same as a bar of chocolate or a can of pepsi?

[admin]

Zo

I did not nick your idea! About 5 years ago my local MP was canvessing for votes not far from the shop I managed. His name is David Davis. I asked him if he wanted to see real waste in the NHS, and brought him to the back of the shop and showed him all the stuff we were throwing away - thousands of pounds worth.

He said he was shocked, and like the 10p idea, but I haven't seen any changes!

[Linnear]

I recently wrote to the DOH concerning Rx rip offs.

e.g. Thousands of loaves on FP10
Viagra on FP10, Why diabetics get free antibiotics etc.etc.etc.

I said that when Viagra etc. is allowed on Rx you let people get their foot in the door to bully Drs into giving them whatever they want all I got back was, "It's up to the prescribers to police it!"

I agree wholeheartedly with the minor fee for everybody. How many times have you had carrier bags for of unused meds back?

I had an old biddy bring back 24 boxes of test strips the other day for us to reuse, when I told her we had to dispose of them she said that that was criminal.

I said well it shouldn't have been ordered int he first place and she stopped complaining about stupidity!

[Zoggite]

Today's batch of holidaymaker scripts:
-14 aspirin dispersible 75mg;
-15g hydrocortisone cream;
-50g algesal cream;
-32 paracetamol tablets;
all for 4 different patients, all of which had to be registered as "temporary residents" and are therefore going to earn the local surgery £23 in TR fees;
Why couldn't all these patients be told:"you can buy these without Rx, if you're daft enough to come on holiday without your meds then you shouldn't expect the NHS to have to fork out beause of it..."

[Linnear]

Your preaching to the man that beat the cr*p out of the choir for being stupid here!

[Raoul]

"feldene dispersible and orodispersible weren't the same thing..."
what are the differences if may i ask?