Written prescriptions

RE: Written prescriptions

Charlotte Marshall — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 14:08:06 GMT

I am afraid it was my attitude that it was bonkers that upset them! Apparently this is a recent computer change within the last week or so but I still don't see why they can't produce a written prescription as others have said.

We have a dog that has a dogs trust written prescription to be filled by the PDSA. The adoptee pays us for the written prescription fee.

RE: Written prescriptions

David Mills — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:20:20 GMT

It seems a bit of an odd position for the PD to take, if indeed it is their position.

We dish out lots of scripts. The benefits to a charity are that you need to stock fewer drugs, and fewer expensive drugs (e.g. we don't have any fluoroquinolones on our shelf) and if the client gets the drugs elsewhere you save money given most of them are subsidised (even more so at the PD where they're just donation-based). Because we charge, from our perspective, it works well for big dogs on long-term meds where the owners can get metacam 180ml at a lower price online than we can supply a 32ml bottle - meaning at least the animal is more likely to get the meds it needs. Madness.

RE: Written prescriptions

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 12:41:55 GMT

They'll never realise that until the government stops robbing taxpayers to allow them to have however many brats as they want.

Wynne

RE: Written prescriptions

grumpyoldman — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 12:34:55 GMT

I think its the general being allowed to have their own bat and ball and play their own game their way while retaining illusions of being a normal practice without all the constraints and limitations that that entails that gets up most peoples noses. Without the PDSA, those clients would be bad debating the rest of us far more often, until the penny dropped and they had to realise that you cannot have what you cannot afford.

RE: Written prescriptions

Clive Ansell — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 12:31:03 GMT

what utter nonsense.

All PDSA clinics I have worked in have an office, computer, printer, and headed paper. Producing any document including a written prescription ought to easy enough.

Any MRCVS should have the facility to produce a written prescription.

I was recently presented with a prescription hand written on blank paper by a local rescue centre, which I refused to honour. I wanted it to be on headed paper, preferably printed but would accept handwritten, with name and signature of the MRCVS.

Similarly, I don't compete documents printed off at home by clients for online pharmacies - I always produce a prescription on practice headed paper.

RE: Written prescriptions

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 11:55:48 GMT

Neither that, nor Martin's complaint would bother me. Being asked to commit a criminal offence does. Martin could always ask the adoptees for the prescription fee.

Wynne

RE: Written prescriptions

grumpyoldman — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 11:51:53 GMT

The PDSA had driven me up the wall for years. Usually its history requests for Out of Hours bad debtors following emergency surgical interventions and c/sections that somehow never came back to pay their bills. There is nothing to say ,nothing you can do about it you just have wander off into a corner and seethe for a bit before putting it in the back of your mind and getting on with the next job. Occasionally they really take the p*** by asking us to sponsor or promote some funding raising activity to improve their services to their clients. It gets filed under B.

RE: Written prescriptions

bob lehner — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 10:55:59 GMT

[quote user="Charlotte Marshall"]It appears the PDSA have got a new computer system which cannot generate a written prescription and so they cannot now issue them. Apparently they are 'not allowed' to do a handwritten one![/quote]

Sounds bonkers. They could use a pad of pre-printed prescription forms (as per the BVA example) if their computer can't generate one (hardly the most challenging task for a computer?)

VMD Guidance notes say 'A client may ask for a written prescription if they want to buy the product from a supplier other than the prescribing vet.'

I'd say they have to supply one, just as any other practice must.

RE: Written prescriptions

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 10:30:45 GMT

Martin My argument with them had nothing to do with money, and everything to do with legality.

Wynne

RE: Written prescriptions

Bob Russell — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 10:16:56 GMT

If the PDSA vet has decided an inhaler is required then they should order it from their wholesaler as any other practice would. If they regularly use human medicines then they should have a human medication wholesaler or a negotiated deal with their veterinary one (as we have!).

If not then they write a prescription.

By 'law' they must provide written prescriptions on request so the daft punter can shop on the internet. Part of the Competitions Commission nonsense!

The Royal College have told us and the VMD make us put up a sign in the practice!

Cascade, competition and all that!!!

RE: Written prescriptions

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 20:45:26 GMT

The PDSA is not bigger than the RCVS. If there are circumstances where we have to do house calls, so should they. If the rest of us have to write prescriptions - so do they.

I think this is only going to be sorted by a complaint/complaints to the RCVS

RE: Written prescriptions

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 19:04:16 GMT

I have a slightly different problem with the PDSA and prescriptions. I have a couple of Dogs Trust re-homed dogs with ongoing medical problems and I am supposed to write a prescription so the owners can get the meds free from the PDSA. So far so good but Dogs Trust won't honour my invoice for the prescription fee so I've started to refuse as I only get a pittance back for my consultation fee as it is. That and their free chipping policy is hardly getting the veterinary profession on-side.

RE: Written prescriptions

Charlotte Marshall — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 17:38:49 GMT

I am glad I am not the only one getting on their bad side! They rang to complain to my boss about my attitude - possibly because when she told me they could not do them due to the computer change my reply was ' Haven't you got headed paper you could write one on?'

RE: Written prescriptions

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 17:31:48 GMT

PDSA have for ages had a totally lunatic policy about prescriptions. I believe they now sell effective worm and flea treatments..........at least I haven't been bothered for ages. They used to issue their clients with a typed list of worm/flea treatments, together with instructions to get them from a private practice. These were'nt even remotely proper prescriptions, as they were never signed. I would tell the owners to go back and get a proper prescription, and they would then return and tell me the PDSA did not supply prescriptions. I had a long argument with one of their veterinary surgeons, who informed me that issuing prescriptions was against PDSA policy. I retorted that I was not amused that they had attempted to turn me into a criminal.

Wynne