It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

Hi,

This the first time I have posted and I want to warn all, especially OAPs about a potential danger to life and limb.

Initially, I thought to write on behalf of my wife and I, but in fact I am contacting the reader on behalf of all the pensioners and pensioners to be who do and will depend on IT and modern science to survive; a bloody inconvenience to Government we know, but continuance means a lot to our families and of course ourselves.

You might or might not be aware that the NHS in its wisdom, continued stupidity or desire to please, I never know with that lot, have in Knowsley - I don't know about other regions - brought about a change to how the repeated medication system functions.

Briefly, until last year the GPs' surgery ordered medications electronically. The prescription/s would be emailed to the various chemists where it/they would be collected. But now somebody with little knowledge of IT and - I suspect in an attempt to justify his or her huge salary - has created an environment, which holds the potential of great danger. The way the new system works is as follows:

One contacts the surgery and orders one's drugs for that month. Presumably the prescriptions are emailed to the various chemists; the only difference in the system appears to be who actually says what will be prescribed - you or the doctor. Contact with the surgery might be made through personal visit, by telephone or email and it is email contact that I am concerned will cause hardship and perhaps deaths.

Like many people I have worked with computers and I know that electronically transmitted messages can go haywire, either lost on servers or corrupted in transit. Therefore, when this new system came on line in September 2017 I suggested thought should be given to enabling repeat medications to be ordered via a dedicated email and was told that would be nutgrove.reception@knowsley.nhs.uk and along with the request for meds I suggested all communications be electronically acknowledged, thus giving assurance that the request had been received.

On first requesting my wife’s and my repeat medications on the 30th August 2017 and having received no reply, which made me think my communication had not been received and only served to reinforce my fears that electronically transmitted messages can become corrupted, I sent a copy of my request for meds along with the following note:

"PLEASE NOTE: I sent you the following email yesterday (Wednesday), but as I had no way of knowing if you would receive it I asked that you please acknowledge receipt; this has not happened. In this event I would ask you once more. Would you please send me an email to acknowledge that you are in fact in receipt of my email and (as we are running low) that our medicines will be available for pick-up next week? I look forward in anticipation of your speedy response. See copy of email below"

I received the following reply:

"Hi there, Just to confirm we received your email regarding your prescriptions, but please note we do not normally reply to emails so please do not be alarmed when you do not receive a reply to next months email. Thanks, Nutgrove Villa Surgery"

To which I responded:

Hi and thank you for your eventual reply to my emails. It is essential in my view, that a system such as this new one you have instigated uses a dedicated email address enabling it to acknowledge messages, as it is so easy for electronic communications to become missing or distorted in transit."

Imagine the following scenarios:

1. Condemning the change to the system generally:

An individual living alone suffers with heart disease, high blood pressure and memory loss. S/he forgets to order medication and when s/he visits the chemist discovers his/her mistake. The chemists rings through to the surgery and arranges for the meds to be ready for tomorrow. The individual forgets she has to revisit the chemist and when s/he sees there are no drugs in the cupboard (having unknowingly exhausted the supply days ago) thinks s/he has taken them already. Days go past and s/he begins to weaken, s/he reaches out for the drugs, but they are not there. Feeling ill and light-headed the person waits in the cold and rain for a bus to the chemist, but is taken off the bus by paramedics and goes to hospital where survival may or may not be the outcome.

2. Condemning the failure to acknowledge:

An individual living alone suffers with heart disease, high blood pressure and memory loss. S/he orders meds via email and feels all is well and the drugs will be ready for collection from his or her chemist in a week. But there is a gremlin in the system and his or her message was not received and acted upon. Continues from 1, above.

3. Simple revision to the new system

An individual living alone suffers with heart disease, high blood pressure and memory loss. S/he orders meds via a dedicated email address. A day or two later forgets s/he had ordered meds by email and so s/he switches on the computer and there is the receipt. Yes the meds will be ready to pick up as arranged.

So there we are. We have all of the ingredients for a tragic accident that could very well result in an elderly person needing immediate hospital attention for a serious and life threatening condition or even DEATH. Well this has been going on for some time now. And on three occasions, for our part, the meds have not been at the chemists and we have needed to contact the surgery, then they ran round like chickens with their heads cut of and got the information out to the chemists and we picked our meds up days late – it is just not good enough.

During this period I have had discussions with a local councillor and with our MP’s secretary who passed messages back and forth, but all to no avail. At the centre of this is an incompetent woman by the name of Dianne Johnson who chairs our local CCG and gives out assurances and promises that her people are not keeping.

I’m going to keep up with this any way I can, but with the jumped-up clowns we have in powerful positions these days, who have their backsides up and their heads in the sand or up other places, and who ignore ordinary people such as the reader and I this is a difficult job. I have tried to contact newspapers (have you ever tried that, it is easier to plait fog) to get this information out there, because I am convinced that before too long this system is going to be responsible for the great distress or worse of some poor elderly person.

Please ask if you would like to see the kind of broken promises Dianne Johnson has made and the empty assurances this woman hands out condescendingly as if she were giving out alms to the poor and I would be glad to hear comments and will engage in conversation with anybody who has something positive to say.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

Welcome.

Very long First post.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

Not sure if this post should be here.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

Its been moved

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

I agree that there is a gap in the system for vulnerable adults with some GP surgeries. I've had some nightmares trying to negotiate with GP surgery, mental health team and pharmacy when OH has had a meds change. If he didn't have me he would end up with no meds and back in hospital.

But I have an online platform for my meds. I log on and request a prescription, no emails required.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

That is a good way around this problem and once again, quite simple for anybody with a modicum of IT knowledge to set up. I shall mention it to the gods at knowsley CCG and I thank you for your positive approach to this apparent danger, regardless of the posts position or information contained within.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

I honestly don't know why you don't have this at your GP practice. Your best bet would be a formal complaint going through the appropriate channels (the practice manager then the CCG etc). It should be in writing.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

Hi theskouser

There hasn't been any change to the repeat prescription service in my area , I can choose to telephone the surgery for a repeat or to order online for collection at the surgery which has its own pharmacy and that is what I do and it works fine. The only problem I have is one of my meds is expensive and not widely used so it is not kept in stock.

Have you discussed your options with your GP , can you not collect prescriptions by hand if you are not happy with the electronic system and take them to a pharmacy yourself.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

If it's the nutgrove villa surgery that you're with then they have online access according to the website. You need to ask the practice for details on how to register online and order repeat prescriptions direct from them. You can nominate which pharmacy the prescription goes to. Most GP surgeries in England have such a system.

Re: It is said that the NHS stands on a burning platform

That is exactly what I do Annie I registered with my surgery to use the 'Patient access service', I go online and select myself which of my meds I wish to reorder and go back and check later that it has been 'accepted': I can collect the prescription from the practice or elect a pharmacy from which to collect it.
The service is available nationwide and seems to work with a minimum of fuss.
It is necessary to give a few days notice if like me a drug needs to be specially aquired.