Workflow and Workflow Tips

[exSAgrad]

The majority of patients should be able to order their own repeat medication. If they want the pharmacy to collect their script, they should telephone them to let them know..........assuming that the phone is not unplugged A lot of problems would be solved if certain multiples provided enough staff.

Well if you are looking for business you need to initiate the repeat from the chemist otherwise the patient is more than happy to take the medicines from the Drs dispensary instead of the signed script! They are usually quite annoyed when we send them off to a chemist for their meds due to short suppy etc...yes pharmacists are undervalued...Our monthly repeat system has made us work a lot more efficiently as one is not looking around for half finished prescriptions.... all ready to collect.....happy patients. It also allows us to do the acute scripts immediately.

[bobbin]

Well if you are looking for business you need to initiate the repeat from the chemist otherwise the patient is more than happy to take the medicines from the Drs dispensary instead of the signed script! They are usually quite annoyed when we send them off to a chemist for their meds due to short suppy etc...yes pharmacists are undervalued...Our monthly repeat system has made us work a lot more efficiently as one is not looking around for half finished prescriptions.... all ready to collect.....happy patients. It also allows us to do the acute scripts immediately.

I appreciate that it works for you, sorry. What I'm saying is that it's not possible for a busy pharmacy to order everyone's repeat medication on their behalf. Even if it was, the surgery wouldn't be happy with it.

[Pharmanaut]

The majority of patients should be able to order their own repeat medication. If they want the pharmacy to collect their script, they should telephone them to let them know..........assuming that the phone is not unplugged A lot of problems would be solved if certain multiples provided enough staff.

Unplugging the phone might be against company policy...
However, it says nothing about a foam lined box to put over it.
Something to make when I'm in the shed next week...

[Pharmanaut]

I appreciate that it works for you, sorry. What I'm saying is that it's not possible for a busy pharmacy to order everyone's repeat medication on their behalf. Even if it was, the surgery wouldn't be happy with it.

We might be able to do something like this with EPSR2 nominations, provided the warehouse dispensaries and the 'big name contractors' don't get them all with powerful advertising first.
Not sure if there are any rules on nominations yet - probably they will follow when its too late.

[bobbin]

Unplugging the phone might be against company policy...
However, it says nothing about a foam lined box to put over it.
Something to make when I'm in the shed next week...

Lol.

[exSAgrad]

I appreciate that it works for you, sorry. What I'm saying is that it's not possible for a busy pharmacy to order everyone's repeat medication on their behalf. Even if it was, the surgery wouldn't be happy with it.

No matter, it keeps me in a job..., but if the script was being collected from the surgery regularly every 28 days ...only the first one would be a week early and the patient wouldn't actually recieve the meds early. ....

[Zoggite]

Hi , I work in a doctors dispensary and I organised the patients to do the following.. When collecting their meds they tick off their regular repeat items and we put a date on the repeat slip for exactly 4 weeks time ie following 28 tablets in a box. The patient also writes down the return date, ,often on the medicines packet or in their diary. The repeat slip is filed in date order. This helps work flow enormously. If we are not busy we can have all the repeats done one week ahead of time. This takes care of hard to get items, or staff shortages. Patients are happy as they don't have to wait long to recieve meds. They know to inform us if their meds have been changed during the month..easier in Drs surgery as the doctors sometimes tell us too. Im sure it can be adapted to chemists ...ie pharmacy brings us repeat slips a month early for future signed scripts. How often do 48 hr repeat scripts still cause last minute signing panics?

Hang on, isn't this the whole point of GPs issuing "Repeat Authorisations" and "batch issues", i.e. the Repeat Dispensing (RD) Scheme, Essentail service No. 2 in the latest Pharmacy Contract?
http://www.psnc.org.uk/data/files/re...g_guidance.pdf
"Early efforts to embrace the RD model by practices were in many cases either difficult to initiate or were halted soon after starting. Some barriers identified were:
• poor collaboration between pharmacists and GPs
• unforeseen set-up time within the practice
• inappropriate patient selection criteria
• lack of confidence from GPs in the service." (Quote)


And how does a patient know 28 days in advance when he'll need more of his PRN meds?

[exSAgrad]

Hang on, isn't this the whole point of GPs issuing "Repeat Authorisations" and "batch issues", i.e. the Repeat Dispensing (RD) Scheme, Essentail service No. 2 in the latest Pharmacy Contract?
http://www.psnc.org.uk/data/files/re...g_guidance.pdf
"Early efforts to embrace the RD model by practices were in many cases either difficult to initiate or were halted soon after starting. Some barriers identified were:
• poor collaboration between pharmacists and GPs
• unforeseen set-up time within the practice
• inappropriate patient selection criteria
• lack of confidence from GPs in the service." (Quote)


And how does a patient know 28 days in advance when he'll need more of his PRN meds?

In South Africa routine prescriptions were given out with 3 or 6mths repeats which were then held at the pharmacy. At end patient would return to Drs for routine checks. Here, when patient is stable on meds they are put on repeat in the surgery for 12mths at a time. Prescription requests are printed off and signed until the 12mths is up before Dr looks at the patients meds again. ( Scripts are signed by locums or any Dr present) In the interim, pharmacist/patient is requesting repeats from technicians or dispensers which are forwarded to Dr if past the 12 mth stage. (patients are automatically called for BP and blood tests)

The prn med is put on repeat as perhaps 100tablets 2 qid to last 28 days though if used continuously would only last 10 days. If patient was using max he would need to see Dr who has underdiagnosed his complaint.
The system works best for uncomplicated repeats and organised patients. The elderly need to remember when to return though they are usually guided by how many tablets are left on the strip...

I think the communication fails where the Drs dispensary would lose money to the pharmacy or where the Dr dosnt have the necessary staff to initiate a smooth change.