"Different tablets available in different areas"

We live in Kent but were on hospital when my husband fell ill. We were admitted to Barnstable hospital were my husband stayed for 3 nights and 2 days.

My husband had some of his usual medication with him. When the pharmacy asked if we had more tablets at home we said yes. Before we could say anything else they said the tablets we had were out of date and they threw them away. We did have tablets at home in Kent but as we were on holiday we didn’t have any more of them. The pharmacist wrote us a new prescription for the tablets but the ones available in Devon were a different brand to the ones we had at home.

This was on the Friday night and they told us to come back Saturday morning. When we did, the pharmacist said they had spoken to my husband’s GP and he should stay on the brand of tablets he has in Kent.

This meant we had to go around a number of different pharmacists trying to get the right tablets. However, each one told us they only stock the other brand.

Why can’t all counties use the same tablets or at least have access to them? In the end we were told it was better for my husband to have one of the other brand tablets than nothing at all. We are now back at home and my husband is continuing with his usual tablets.

The hospital was brilliant but we just wished all counties had the same tablets, and that they had realised we were just visiting the area and couldn’t get home for more medication.