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My doctor's surgery is computerised - this is all good.
And for a couple of years now, I can order Herself's medication repeat prescriptions online: I log in, tick what she needs, send the request, and then collect the medication from the pharmacy one or two days later.
This is complicated, as the NHS rules in Wales will only allow 28 days of medication, and you can only re-order in the last 7 days of the 28 since the last issue. Not a problem, I just sort it out (and "juggle" reorder dates to get it to "one-order-per-four-weeks".
It works: no paper, no fuel to drive paper to surgery, no phone, no people involved.
Except they changed systems 4 months ago, and the first two months it just lost all requests. Last month, it was fine, so on Sunday I submitted a new request. And this morning it's still sitting there on the computer as status: "Requested". Not "Approved", or "Rejected", but "Requested" - which means it hasn't been dealt with. OK, drive down to surgery and sort it out.
Now, you and I probably figure it goes like this:
1) User submits request to central internet system
2) System sends request to surgery for processing
3) Surgery system checks request and validates that it's all on the "approved" list for the user, and that he ordered in the appropriate period.
4) System passes request to doctor, who scans, ticks and moves on.
5) System produces physical prescription, which is passed to pharmacy. (Legal requirement: must be paper copy)
No. Found out today that step 3 is human: An employee prints out the request, gets the user computer file up and manually checks it, then types in the prescription request for the doctor to look at, check against the computer, sign and put in the "out" basket...
And "The girl that does that is off this week" 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Try the Dept of Work & Pensions! Had a battle down there yesterday as I received a text message 'To Attend At 13:40' and go there (I have noticed something the Security Guards are all over weight/obese 40+, how good would they be if a 17 year old goes Jeremy Kyle???) End up sitting for around 3/4 of an hour...It strikes me that Civil Servants are a strange breed they have one speed (in my experience slower than an arthritic tortoise!). Only to be told I should look for work in the computing area, possibly PC World!!
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This is why they changed their name from "DHSS1" to "DoW&P" / "Job Centre": they were known as the "Department of Stealth and Total Obscurity" for good reasons, and the people haven't changed at all...or moved significantly in some cases. 
1: "DHSS" == "Department of Heath and Social Security", for our non-UK readers
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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OriginalGriff wrote: "DHSS" == "Department of Heath and Social Security", for our non-UK readers
As a non-UK reader I found that quite an easy guess; but then I am a fellow victim of bureaucracy, and acronyms for departments of all sorts. In SA they have tried some obfuscation by replacing Departments with Agencies, but I'm onto that.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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I know, I wanted to get a copy of some tests that were done, so the receptionist did screen prints :-/
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Well at least you got something close to what you wanted! 
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OriginalGriff wrote: I log in, tick what she needs, send the request, and then collect the medication from the pharmacy one or two days later.
Dang, I wished we could do that here in Sweden. But even though almost everything is computerized, you cannot renew a prescription without contacting the doctor in person. And you can't email him or contact him online, you have to call him on the real, physical phone (during a certain timespan, of course).
I don't know, but it just feels so 1975!
Most annoying thing is that after a couple of heart attacks, I get heart medicine that I need to have FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. But I can't get a running prescription, I need to go through the above procedure at least once a year anyway... 
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
Anonymous
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The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
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I'd just like a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
Me, all the time
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I'm surprised, I always thought of Sweden as a "modern" country.
Even prior to the online system, there was a "pre-approval" system in the UK, where a year's worth of prescriptions were sent to the pharmacy and you could just "call them off" on a monthly basis. (That died when the 28 day limit for medication was introduced). And that years's worth was automatically renewed each year. Well, mostly it was...
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Johnny J. wrote: ...FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. But I can't get a running prescription...
That my dear friend is called bureaucracy. Long lives Bureaucracy!
if(this.signature != "")
{
MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found");
}
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No shite? I tell you: Sweden strives to be King of Bureaucracy! 
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
Anonymous
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The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
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I'd just like a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
Me, all the time
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Johnny J. wrote: No shite?
No shite !
I'd say Germany is king of please fill paper XYZ-1 and take it to Floor 3 - 309 and there you need to fill paper XMT-34 to take it to Floor 2 - 212 and then you get XZY-101, you fill that out and come back to me.....
It's really like this, i had that sh.. on filling out my BaföG (Money assistance for students)
You fill out 12 papers to get told that 6 arent valid and you are still missing 7 other. then you redo that with the 13 new papers to get told that you are still missing this and that
if(this.signature != "")
{
MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found");
}
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Pretty much the same in Canada (Ontario anyway!).
The reason here is that doctors get paid by patient visit. Some doctors will permit phone requests for repeats and will even fax the scrip to a pharmacy. My doctor doesn't!
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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I can quite easily phone my Doc for a new prescription, but a pharmacy is only allowed to accept a faxed script for one month, where for a six month one, I have to go and fetch it from him.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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OriginalGriff wrote: the NHS rules in Wales ...
... are just the same as those in England. In Scotland, of course, anything could happen.
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Not sure they are: last time I got an English prescription, it was a three month supply. The rules in Wales changed to a 28 day max when prescription charges were abolished and may have been related to that.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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It changed to 28 days max a couple of years ago. My GP said it was new NHS rules to cut down on the amount of unused drugs being thrown away.
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I take tablets for my Diabetes and they let me have 56 days worth of stock - see if your GP will change your wife's prescription.
I was very impressed a couple of weeks ago - I went to the surgery to book my annual check-up with the practise nurse, and as I was giving my details to the receptionist, I got a text message on my phone - it was from the NHS confirming my appointment details!
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I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka.
=========================================================
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They used to allow 3 months worth, but that all changed when prescription charges were abolished in Wales years ago. Now it's 28 days at a time, even for "continuous" conditions.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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One good thing here is that doctors can add "repeats" to a prescription. My current doctor will only do 1, which gives me access to 6 months supply (continuous medication is usually 3 months' worth). My previous doctor would put up to 6 repeats on a scrip.
This system allows for changes in meds (the repeats can be cancelled or just not collected) without excessive waste.
I'm sure that narcotics are more tightly controlled, but things like BP, diabetes and thyroid meds ....
Of course, we (our insurance) pay for meds, unlike the UK, so wasted meds would be at personal expense.
I wonder how much additional waste (cash) is caused by the frequent consultations versus the value of the meds theoretically saved?
There must be a better way!
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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In England and Scotland a lot of people also pay for their prescription medications - currently £8.05 per item - not per script. I get 4 or 5 different items each time, so if not eligible for free prescriptions I would be paying £40+ per script. You can pre-pay and get significant discount.
They are free for children, old folks, people in receipt of certain benefits, and people like me with chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Doctors set up repeats on prescriptions, usually for a year, before they like you back in for a review. Each repeat is for 2 months meds in my case, but only 1 in Griff's case.
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I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka.
=========================================================
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Chris, I'm not talking about prescription charges (they apply here too), but the cost of drugs. Drugs here are free in hospital and free for seniors (I'm almost there!), but everyone else has to pay. There is some help for those on welfare (I don't know the details, not being on welfare).
Most people have medical insurance that covers some proportion of drug costs, mine pays 80% of my quarterly $200 drugs bill. Most employers pay for medical insurance as part of the benefits and remuneration package. The cost to the company is affected by claims, so at some level there's still a personal impact.
FYI, I'm an ex-pat, so while I may not be up-to-date, I do have a good understanding of the NHS!
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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Here in the colonies (  ) you can order (a 90 day supply) through your insurance. They will even contact the doctor when refills (new prescription) are needed. This works until you switch insurance and you have to send a prescription into the new system.
I seem to see my specialists at least once a year (yes that is plural). I also go to my family doctor every year to keep all the information straight. Just thought I have a specialists I am currently go to every six months but he is not prescribing medicine, just monitoring.
The "Un" Affordable Care Act was to make it easier to share information, but I do not see that happening yet.
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Here are some alternatives[^].
I think that I'm going for the "Nuns having fun" calendar... 
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
Anonymous
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The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
-----
I'd just like a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
Me, all the time
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I like the animals with mustaches 
if(this.signature != "")
{
MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found");
}
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