"A very frustrating situation"

In the last few months I’ve had several very frustrating situations when dealing with Patford House. One of which was getting some numbing cream for my son ahead of a blood test. It was explained by the surgery that we needed this cream. I asked for the prescription to be arranged and went to collect it from the chemist I’ve collected from for years. It wasn’t there and had been sent to a different chemist. I called the surgery and arranged another prescription. By this time it was the day before our blood test and I had to leave work early to collect it. I got to the chemist and the prescription was there but the pharmacist then told me that the cream could have been bought over the counter at any time. Information which would have saved me multiple calls to the surgery, a wasted trip and having to leave work early! So frustrating.

I recently spoke to a doctor over the phone and explained I needed to try a different HRT. One was prescribed but it didn’t agree with me. I then spoke to another doctor who had no record of me trying something different. I couldn’t recall the name of the medication. I went to collect the medication and I had been prescribed the medication that hadn’t agreed with me. It cannot be good that you had no record of what I’d tried. What if I’d had an allergic reaction to it? I’m glad I checked the name on my NHS app ahead of taking it!

I spoke to someone else and they arranged the collection of a different HRT medication. They also did a pill check. I’d already requested a repeat prescription of the pill days before my check so when I went to collect from the chemist I assumed it would be in there along with the HRT medication. I was advised that I needed to get my blood pressure taken on the call, but at no point was it explained that my repeat prescription of my pill wouldn’t be approved because of this. Needless to say when I realised my contraceptive pill wasn’t in with my HRT meds I was very frustrated. I have now run out of the pill. Not my doing as I had requested the repeat much earlier that week and had decided to collect everything together when the HRT meds were sorted.

I’ve submitted another request for a repeat prescription but I now have to wait for that to be approved (presuming it will be without a blood pressure check) and then I have to make another trip to the chemist. Surely things don’t need to be as difficult as this. I simply don’t have the time or inclination to make multiple calls and multiple trips to the chemist for what should be simple matters. As a service provider, if I made mistakes like this at work I’d feel obliged to remedy it but I haven’t come across anyone at the surgery that seems to care what stress these situations add to people’s lives.