Stoma supplies

Oh, that’s awful Jane. I don’t need to speak to my gp, pharmacist or the actual supply company.

My surgery uses a firm called Nottinghamshire Appliance Management Services so I call them, say what I need and they send the prescription to the gp for authorisation and return to them. They then send the approved script to my supply company, Respond, who dispatch via DPD.

I am often critical of my gp surgery for many reasons, but they have never once refused to authorise what I’ve requested. I must be very fortunate as this seems to work seamlessly and without issue.

Sarah xx

Lucky you! I thought everyone was like me until I joined the Zoom meeting I mentioned. You're the first person Ive heard of with that sort of turnaround though I had heard of 1 week before.

And Winkers isn't the only one with awkward GPs though mine are fine so far. The trend that others raised seems to be towards more questioning of what products one uses and more scrutiny in GP surgeries ie potential delays and refusals to allow items by people who don't know what we need,  with products the NHS thinks of as only 'nice to have' no longer being allowed. E.g. I had no experience of the need to filter or deodorise colostomy bags so people don't think one is farting all the time in meetings etc, but I imagine you may have. Not everyone feels able to speak up and explain. And there were some people that really minded that they couldn't have those products now.

The consultants at the meeting were gathering info for the government so we all made sure we told them exactly how it was for us and focused hard on improving the ordering/delivery process as well as waste caused eg when we change a product.  Because you can end up with lots of stuff you ordered and the stoma nurse approved but then she changes what you should use and you can't send it back and don't want to just chuck it out. I give those things to the nurse  but my surgery paid for it and one day that may become an issue.

If I hear any more of this sort of stuff I'll post about it. Meanwhile I'm keeping an eye out for changes locally so I can get orders in in good time. I haven't yet managed to talk to the pharmacist at the surgery that approves orders and sends them off to the delivery company. I can't see why as adults we can't be allowed to order directly only needing the nurse to OK a new product beforehand. That would speed things up a bit.

And once I had terrible trouble getting night bags as they stopped making the old ones and the new ones needed to be urgently approved by the nurse who was off sick and none of us in the chain even knew they had been discontinued! 

Don't get me wrong I'm very grateful that I don't have to pay £5 - 10 for each stoma bag like they do in the USA and other places. But somehow the whole set up isn't arranged to put the patient and our needs on top. And seems likely to get worse.

All the best,

Latestart

I don't think my surgery would refuse anything yet (unless new rules come in) but because it all takes so long and calling the delivery company recently I had to hang on for a total of 3 hours just to ask what the delivery date was. Its not a comfortable process

It’s interesting that our experiences are so varied.I worry about getting approval for the script but have no complaints about the delivery company.I get mine via DPD and have had no problems at all.I’m on first name terms with my regular delivery driver and he is polite and punctual.

Mine arrives via DPD too. But I only find out which day they are coming on that day when I usually get a text and link to the DPD website. They can sometimes give a rough idea of time to arrive but  not usually. They leave the box in my bin cupboard by the door if I'm out but I haven't seen the same man twice when I am in. When I put in the order I ask the delivery company for a date. They sometimes give me an estimate. Last time it came a day early, other times a day or two later. They are usually friendly if I do see someone.

So until it actually arrives you can't be certain you'll have what you need.

I hope we can get that improved one day. Not holding my breath.

I get a text usually a few hours before giving the arrival time which is within an  hour.I’ve never asked for a delivery date but I’m always at home when the order is due.I have a designated place to leave it if I should be out though.

Hi Latestart 

I do feel lucky when I’m reading how difficult it is for others. It was only a little more challenging when Covid first kicked off and people started ordering way more than they needed and stockpiling it which resulted in some shortages of certain items and things were disrupted.

There is a huge amount of waste-especially if we change a particular product because excess stuff cannot be returned. There is a charity based up Hull way called Jacob’s Well, which accepts unused supplies to be sent to other countries. I have also donated unused supplies to a local charity which delivers lorry loads of aid to Ukraine on a regular basis. 

I can only order the maximum amount of items I have ordered in the past without the approval of the stoma nurse who works for the Appliance Management Services but I wanted more of a particular product on my order the other day as I’m going on holiday on Friday. A note was added to my request, and it was agreed without the approval of the nurse on this occasion. 

I have the same DPD delivery guy almost every time, though there is another guy who is sometimes delivering but I’ve only seen those 2 in over 5 years-both friendly and punctual. 

Sarah xx

I like a delivery date so I can plan to be home that day if I can and be sure I won't run out of bags, eg if I need to use an extra 1 or 2 if my skin becomes sore or in case of leaks. 

It's good they can be flexible if you need it. Mine sound as if they might be to a limited extent. Thanks for telling me about Jacobs Well. I shall investigate.

That reminds me I ordered a couple of replacement stoma belts a couple of weeks ago - the plastic velcro bits are cracking after all the washing. I need to chase them up and find some safety pins meanwhile.

Living in London seems to mean never seeing the same courier twice (that's if I get there before they dash off) and there have been lots of thefts from safe places. A large heavy cardboard box might seem interesting to a thief - there's nothing on rhe box to say it's just medical supplies. And sometimes the couriers don't read delivery instructions and just dump things on the doorstep. So I try to be home if I possibly can, not leave stuff out for long. 

It all adds up to feeling a bit on edge until things arrive. Not much difference for other deliveries, though you don't usually have to wait 3 weeks for Amazon.

Latestart

Hi

The only issue I've had is adding an item onto my prescription e.g. stoma powder. My GP agreed, but Fittleworths insisted I contact my Stoma Nurse, who I hadn't spoken to for years. Turned out ok, but a bit of a polava at the time.