Communication

Drs are so frustating......

I hope you get what you need.

My Drs office called and cancelled today 2 hours before I had the appointment...If that was me they would charge me $$$$.

It sounds like they will get their act together now that you have called everyone....Good advocate for yourself!

Feel better.

Thanks. I’m getting things a bit more in perspective now. Hate being this emotional but think may be side effect of tamoxifen 

You don’t need extra stress but glad you were able to cry out some of your emotion. Have you got access to oncology direct? Perhaps they could have more clout, may even be able to get you collect from them? Just a thought xxx

I get copied in to the letters they send from the hospital to the doctor which includes any request to continue what's been prescribed by the hospital. Then, when the GP surgery claims they do not have any letter I produce the one I've got, wave it at them and tell them to photocopy it and put it on their system. I do this following an appt with a locum doctor who was refusing to prescribe whatever it was (might have been Tamoxifen) because he said it wasn't on the system. Turned out we were talking at cross purposes. I had the most up to date letter with the prescription request on and he had an older one with no request. I felt rather smug passing over the latest letter. I got my meds by the way!!

Do they really still charge you if they cancel the appt?

Hi Tabby,

Yes, I have encountered issues too, due to two factors:

One, the hospital belongs to one NHS trust, my GP to another. Two, delays in getting the oncologist letters typed and sent by the admin people. At the height of the pandemic that sometimes meant delays of up to two months or more. I noticed this as I was getting copies of the letters that were being sent to the GP, but at that time there was no practical implication so I queried it but did not take it any further. However, when it was time to transition certain aspects to the GP, also to do with a repeat prescription, I got my BC nurse to email the surgery and get a reply from them confirming, and up until that point I insisted on my prescription being fulfilled at the hospital's pharmacy. 

It's frustrating to read about something like this happening yet again, and this time to someone like you, who cannot wait for them to sort themselves out but needs her medication right now. Not sure if I should advise you to complain to PALS because my guess is that you just want your meds sorted out, but at the same time, a complaint may help the next person to avoid having to go through this.

Hi , I had the same problem when I started on Anastrozole. Oncologist gave me first prescription which I collected from the hospital pharmacy, and told me that I’d get them monthly through my GP. Like you, I was getting near the end of the first 4 weeks, went to GP for repeat prescription only to be told that they’d no record. I was lucky to have an oncology nurse’s number - she phoned me back quite promptly and managed to arrange for me to collect another month’s supply from the hospital. It was around Christmas so I was really worried that I’d run out and everywhere would be closed. I’m also lucky that I drive as the hospital isn’t great to get to on public transport. By the 3rd prescription the GP had the notification so it’s been ok since then. But it felt liked the last straw in those early days. 
Sorry you’ve had this horrible stress, it really is hard enough without having the extra worry of running out of tablets. Hope it’s all ok now and you get your tablets, and hopefully after that it will be simpler. Sending love and a big virtual hug, HFxx