Christmas Tales from the Frontline
The bureaucratic maze
“I need some of the preservative-free eye drops - I’ve tried every pharmacy, and there’s a national shortage,” I say. “The issue is this lady has to put them in every hour, and she was seen by a casualty doctor who gave her the drops and a prescription to complete the course”
“Do you have any in stock?” I ask.
“Just hold the line,” says the hospital pharmacist
“Hello, yes we do have the ones you need in stock,” comes the reply.
Excellent. If I write an FP10 prescription, can the woman pick it up today?
“Just one problem, you’re not a hospital doctor,” says the pharmacist.
“You mean, despite being an NHS urgent care doctor, I can’t get her the drugs she needs because the hospital won’t allow it.”
“Yes, that’s correct. You’ll have to try and get her a hospital doctor to prescribe it.”
Prescriptions issued by non-hospital doctors are still legally valid. This means hospital pharmacies may dispense medications prescribed by any licensed physician, although some may limit dispensing to inpatients…
