Pharmacies Closed Aug 1, 2009?

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annet

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Was up shopping this morning - and two chemists were closed. The sign of one shutter was "contract withdrawn from the HSE" the other "Pharmacy Closed Today August 1, 2009" - no reason given. Maybe somebody whose a member of the IPU can post the reason accounting for why chemists are closed today? Is this part of their dispute - are you trying to back the HSE into a corner - is this a symbolic protest - rather irresponsible dont you think? Where's your duty of care - to both private, GMS and community drug scheme patients?

Yesterday, I went to a chemist to pick up a script. An elderly person came in to order his script - he was a GMS patient. He said he'd come back tomorrow (ie. Aug 1). The pharmacist told him he'd be better picking it up today (friday). I asked the pharmacist whether they were withdrawing from the GMS/community drug scheme - she refused to answer!!! Both pharmacies are listed on the participating pharmacies online list thats currently on with the HSE website. How difficult is it for the HSE to publish a correct list - surely if notice of withdrawal was as vague as the HSE leads us to believe - there are ample surplus managers in the HSE who could have picked up the phone to ascertain who was and who was not participating. It recalls the recent dispute by Dentists who also withdrew from the GMS - whose next - doctors??

We hear of a 34% cut in payments - and are unable to continue participating in the scheme - well I am sure that pharmacist would see no problem publishing their audited accounts to see exactly how much profit they are making from participation in the GMS community drug scheme. Yet again patients are the ones who are disadvantaged.
 
Here is the current HSE list of "pharmacies [that] CONTINUE to be available to dispense medicines to patients and clients under the Medical Card and other State Drugs Schemes e.g. Long Term Illness Scheme."

[broken link removed]

I have no means of checking its accuracy, but it appears to be the only widely available source of information.

I don't think a partial re-hashing of the alleged causes / sources of the dispute is helpful as all the parties dispute the numbers produced by the other(s).
 
mathepac said:
I have no means of checking its accuracy, but it appears to be the only widely available source of information.
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I don't like moaning about this type of stuff but how long would it have taken for the HSE to put the lists in alpha order :(
 
I dont know i think it's better the way that it is. Everyone will know the area that they live in but how many would know the name of their pharmacy? ( i have no idea what the name of mine is and i've been in their loads of time)

The county dublin could of been listed a bit better, had to go through the whole list to find that balbriggan only has one pharmacy available now.
 
The list published on the HSE website is not accurate - and without re-hashing each sides view and disputed figures (which only serve their own purpose) there is no explanation of why pharmacies are closed today.... ok they may have withdrew from the scheme - but have they totally shut up shop.... I dont think so!
 
Its very odd that they closed up shop. Very odd indeed.

I get a script each month under the drugs payment scheme. My pharmacist is on strike from today also. I had no problem getting my script filled in another pharmacy who is bot on strike (Boots in fact). I tell you one thing they were very busy today and i imagine making a small fortune. My own pharmacist is going to lose a lot of money. Their strike is not effective.
 
I am not a medical card holder but I personally won't be going to the pharmacist that I used to go to as he has pulled out of the scheme.

I live beside the border so I will either travel north and pay less or go to another pharmacist who has not pulled out of the scheme.

I don't like crossing the border to shop as my town has become a ghost town since last year but my money will never cross the counter of my FORMER pharmacy.


The IPU will do their best to frustrate the supply of drugs in the hope that the people turn on the HSE / Government to force a climb down.

Our small crippled country can no longer afford the very generous mark ups that the pharmacist enjoyed.

Harney is 100% right here and she is getting my support on this one.
 
sidzer said:
The IPU will do their best to frustrate the supply of drugs in the hope that the people turn on the HSE / Government to force a climb down.

Our small crippled country can no longer afford the very generous mark ups that the pharmacist enjoyed.

Harney is 100% right here and she is getting my support on this one.
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I agree completely. Remember it’s the dispensing fee that has been reduced, not the massive mark-up that they get on the drugs.

If anyone is in doubt about the profits being made by pharmacists ask yourself this; how many of them have gone out of business over the last 5 years?
 
The Competition Authority should take a long hard look at the carry on of these so-called professionals.
I am 100% behind Harney on this one.
 
Purple said:
If anyone is in doubt about the profits being made by pharmacists ask yourself this; how many of them have gone out of business over the last 5 years?
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Ask how many new ones have opened in last 5 years. They were a license to print money in boom years.
 
The Pharmacists are using their customers to get at the HSE. If I did not get served in my usual Pharmacy then I would take my custom elsewhere. Boots is serving as usual?
 
In answer to the previous poster - boots continues to meet the needs of patients in the community!

On the newstalk this morning the IPU said that its members were noticing mistakes in the prescriptions that the emergency pharmacists were dispensing. This is a rather serious issue - and if this allegation is at all true - has the IPU directed its members who notice these mistakes to help identify the pharmacists concerned and also make a complaint to the pharmaceutical society of Ireland - who license the professional practice of pharmacists in Ireland - as pharmacists have ethical standards via their code of conduct - including to exercise due care and expertise before providing a product or service!
 
A bar code reader, a robot arm and the right packaging and storage set-up would remove all of these problems (and about 75% of the “work” that pharmacists do).
 
annet said:
In answer to the previous poster - boots continues to meet the needs of patients in the community!

On the newstalk this morning the IPU said that its members were noticing mistakes in the prescriptions that the emergency pharmacists were dispensing. This is a rather serious issue - and if this allegation is at all true - has the IPU directed its members who notice these mistakes to help identify the pharmacists concerned and also make a complaint to the pharmaceutical society of Ireland - who license the professional practice of pharmacists in Ireland - as pharmacists have ethical standards via their code of conduct - including to exercise due care and expertise before providing a product or service!
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Given that 100,000s of these are done every week, I've no doubt that mistakes are made. Are we talking about the typo errors you very often see in the recipients name/address or something more serious?

Though IPU should be careful that the pharmacists they target dont get the hump and start targetting their member's mistakes.

Incidently, how would the IPU hear about these mistakes? Aren't patient records confidential?
 
I’m sorry but I’m confused here, maybe someone could explain this to me.

A Pharmacy dispenses a script for someone how has a medical card (or other state drug scheme) and the pharmacy will receive the price of the medicine plus a dispensing fee from the HSE?

A Pharmacy dispenses a script for a person without a medical card and the pharmacy will receive only the price of the medicine (which is the same € as they are charging the state) but no dispensing fee.

Why would the state pay them a dispensing fee for the same action? Just because instead of cash/plastic the pharmacies has to invoice the HSE? In fact is the dispensing fee than not a surcharge for a different payment method?
 
Isn't a dispensing fee built into the amount paid by a non-medical card customer when they get a script filled? Doesn't that explain the difference in price between issuing 6 months meds in a single transaction vs issuing 6 months meds in 6 different transactions? And perhaps why some pharmacists are reluctant to issue 6 months meds altogether.....?
 
csirl said:
Given that 100,000s of these are done every week, I've no doubt that mistakes are made. Are we talking about the typo errors you very often see in the recipients name/address or something more serious?

Though IPU should be careful that the pharmacists they target dont get the hump and start targetting their member's mistakes.

Incidently, how would the IPU hear about these mistakes? Aren't patient records confidential?
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The IPU was informed by pharmacists - who became aware of these supposed incidents from former patients who came to them looking for their advice re the medication that was dispensed. These incidents were not typo errors like name and address - they were alleged errors in the medication and dosage that was dispensed.
 
I take two types of medication every day, neither of which can be missed for even one day without feeling the consequences. I keep the prescription on file at my local pharmacy, who closed without notice this bank holiday weekend leaving me without both. I feel absolutely awful today and have been progressively worse since Saturday; Withdrawal symptoms from coming off one too quickly, and general effects of not taking the other which will be a lifetime necessity.

I phoned today to arrange to take back my script and let them know what I thought of being left in the lurch like this all weekend. Although the service there is usually great, I will vote with my feet until they return to the DPS.
 
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