"Continuous negative experiences with Lloyds..."

What I liked

This review merely addresses Lloyds Pharmacy in the EYE Hospital in Manchester. There is nothing, but really nothing that I like about this specific Lloyds Pharmacy; I only go there because they are the only pharmacy I can get my medication from. It has gone so far that I have requested my GP whether, please, I can get all my meds via them from my local pharmacy. I doubt this request will be granted by the hospital though.

So let me continue in the next section.

What could be improved

Can Lloyds Pharmacy please make sure that

- the waiting lines are shorter

- that people who wait for an ambulance, are very ill or come from far will be given priority (I will willingly wait longer as I live closeby)

- that they realise that they work in a h.o.s.p.i.t.a.l and as such that many of their 'costumers' most probably have just had another bad experience; bad news, an injection in their eye, a scan that turned out bad, saw a specialist who barely had time or otherwise feel terrible because of their medical and physical situation

- as such, that they would demonstrate humane behaviour; if you are nicer and gentler to your customers, I promise you they will be so grateful and return this favour!!

- be culturally sensitive, we have different backgrounds

- that they give adequate information about the medication, how and when to take this, about side effects, possible interactions with other medication or food or liquids etc

- that they a.l.w.a.y.s have a professional and experienced pharmacist present - who is knowledgeable about their medications

- give the quantity of and advice on medication conform the specialists prescription. or confer with the specialist. having to get new meds within five days from your GP is not acceptable

- this is an EYE hospital; people have the right and need to receive accessible verbal and printed information

- do not (merely) refer to a phone number; if I leave a Pharmacy with new and strong medication, I want to know then and there how, when, etc I have to use it.

- do not be evasive; do not hide behind The Regulations or The Trust

- dont threaten your customers when they are critical

They give out the heavy medication that other pharmacies apparently cannot give out, that is the o.n.l.y reason we go to Lloyds Pharmacy (sit there for a day to hear other customers complain). We are dependent on you. Do not use that power and our dependency. In case you are afraid of litigation: respect and good information will be a start

Anything else?

This Lloyds Pharmacy really has made my life as a person with disabilities and accessibility issues a lot more difficult the last couple months. I absolutely dread going there. If possible, I will never get my meds via them, even though this costs me extra visits to the GP and my local pharmacy to just avoid interacting even more with them. But I have other conditions as well and often I am just too tired physically to face all that organisation as well; my diseases are bad enough as it is and half of the times the visit to the hospital is, medically speaking, traumatic enough to also deal with them. If there would have been another hospital with equally educated specialists in the area, I would consider changing hospitals only because of this pharmacy. I am not even joking here, last time I was in tears.

This is how institutions contribute to disability being a social impairment

After my last visit to this pharmacy, I went to my local pharmacy with two boxes of chocolates - I realised how grateful I was for their hospitality, patience and extensive and adequate information and just generally empathy and 'niceness' and understanding that we are not there to get candy: we are actual patients with sever conditions who often are in 'survival-mode'.