Best customer complaint by far

[Linnear]

Hi there!

A pharmacy I work at had a customer come in last Sunday, day before Bank Hol, and say they were out of Seroquel so they gave her two to see her through and said they'd ask for the Rx on Tuesday at the surgery.

It wasn't there so when the woman came back the Rx wasn't ready. She stormed off saying that she'd never come back!

Anyone out there want to argue that case with the old we should look out for the customers and they'll look out for us?


P.S. I can remember a few months after I qualified that a pharmacist I know received a Rx for 6 flesh coloured tubigrip (Blacklisted and twice the price) so he gave her 3 flesh coloured and crossed out the colour on the Rx. WHen the woman came for her Rx she kicked up so much that he ended up ringing the Dr to get him to write a Rx for six more normal tubigrip so he could give her another 3 flesh coloured.

Ten minutes later the woman's sister rang up to ask why he'd held up her sister so long and upset her so much! She quietened down when he told her that what he should have done was give her Rx back and say they couldn't dispense it! *


*Names have been changed to protect the not so innocent!

[Jeff]

P.S. I can remember a few months after I qualified I received a Rx for 6 flesh coloured tubigrip (Blacklisted and twice the price) so I gave her 3 flesh coloured and crossed out the colour on the Rx. WHen the woman came for her Rx she kicked up so much that I ended up ringing the Dr to get him to write a Rx for six more normal tubigrip so I could give her another 3 flesh coloured.

Isn't that fraud?

Jeff

[Linnear]

Well strictly speaking it would have been had it happened.

Got to go now!


In our qualifiaction exam we had a question:

You receive an Rx for a black listed item do you:

1) Dispense BL item and send Rx for payment

2) Get a 2nd Rx for a simliarly priced allowable item, give the BL item and submit 2nd Rx for pricing

3) Get a 2nd Rx for a similar item and dispense this


Always thought this was a question to test a students ability to learn waht to do and learn what to tell people you do.

[lrpolo]

you can get flesh coloured tubigrip?

[Linnear]

Used to be able to. Back in the good old days! (Just going to get my zimmer frame! )

[Zoggite]

Tubigrip flesh-coloured: yes, it is still around. I got sent some by mistake last week, from AAH.

[Pharmanaut]

Bending the rules

Ten minutes later the woman's sister rang up to ask why he'd held up her sister so long and upset her so much! She quietened down when he told her that what he should have done was give her Rx back and say they couldn't dispense it! *


*Names have been changed to protect the not so innocent!

Best not to bend the rules these days.
It creates a precedence that can take you to places that you don't want to go to.

Best to be a 'Jobsworth' - people accept it more these days.

[pharmatron]

I thought flesh coloured tubigrip bandages were allowed on script. We have a guy who gets them quite regularly (prescribed and endorsed as flesh coloured). We have never had the script returned. I had look in Part XVIIIA of the DT and couldn't see it listed.

I'm confused now!

[Linnear]

They were certainly blacklisted twelve years ago.

If you've been paid for them then perhaps they aren't any more.

[Tony Schofield]

Re: Bending the rules

Best not to bend the rules these days.
It creates a precedence that can take you to places that you don't want to go to.

Best to be a 'Jobsworth' - people accept it more these days.

Fraud is fraud. It has always been the case. It isn't our fault that the drug tariff blacklists drugs and appliances. There is no element of "jobsworth" in what should happen, it is allowable or it isn't and if the patient wants the blacklisted item they should be prepared to pay for them. (And I don't mean the difference in price between the allowable item and the blacklisted item).

Just imagine what you would say in court to defend yourself and how you seriously expect it to be received. The judge may not accept that jobsworth is an accurate description of a pharmacist who sticks to the law.

As to the question of what an employee pharmacist would gain from such a situation, do you want to spend the time building a case for the defence?

[Pharmanaut]

Re: Bending the rules

Fraud is fraud. It has always been the case. It isn't our fault that the drug tariff blacklists drugs and appliances. There is no element of "jobsworth" in what should happen, it is allowable or it isn't and if the patient wants the blacklisted item they should be prepared to pay for them. (And I don't mean the difference in price between the allowable item and the blacklisted item).

Just imagine what you would say in court to defend yourself and how you seriously expect it to be received. The judge may not accept that jobsworth is an accurate description of a pharmacist who sticks to the law.

As to the question of what an employee pharmacist would gain from such a situation, do you want to spend the time building a case for the defence?

Tony,
I agree with you entirely about the matter; my statement of "Jobsworth" is my opinion of how I think we look, and how I certainly feel, to the public when we have to refuse to dispense an NHS prescription. Imagine being in a lot of discomfort for whatever reason, waiting days for an appointment to see the doctor, getting the prescription, taking it to the pharmacy, then being told, sorry this isn't allowed on the NHS.

[Titch]

Re: Best customer complaint by far

Hi there!


Anyone out there want to argue that case with the old we should look out for the customers and they'll look out for us?

Not really!

Had a customer make a complaint about me 'cause I wouldn't do emergency supply for her. She was going on holiday the next day (for 10 days) and would run out the day after she returned. I offered to organise a script in her absence and have it delivered on the day she returned but that was not good enough - she wanted it now!
For once, company backed me up - actually looking at it now they couldn't really not as they would have been asking me to break the law to have complied with her wishes.

[drh785]

Re: Best customer complaint by far

Titch i can't stand customers like that who think that can just borrow tablets!!
It is my number one gripe when locuming.
If i had my way there would be no loaning or silly borrowing at all - only absolutely essential items like ventolin.
In some shops that i locum in it has got out of hand! It's as though the manager is frightened of upsetting the customers!
A lot of customers i feel take the P***!!
What are other pharmacists views on this?
There is NO excuse to run out of tablets the patient can see when he/she is running out!!

[johnep]

Re: Best customer complaint by far

If a pt is running out of tabs, make an MUR condition of supplying as obviously cannot manage her meds.
johnep

[Zoggite]

Re: Best customer complaint by far

There is NO excuse to run out of tablets the patient can see when he/she is running out!!

It's not always the patient's fault: I've had to deal with some rather sloppy, disorganised surgeries, who would regularly loose scripts down the back of the filing cabinet etc... I once witnessed a cup of tea falling onto the prescription printer and thus annihilating all the morning's work: needless to say the surgery staff didn't manage to remember every single Rx they'd printed, nor did they know how to retrieve a list from the computer...
Then there's all the ones that got sent to the wrong Pharmacy... I could go on and on!