Pharmacy charging -is this right
 

My Uncle has just phoned to tell me his pharmacy will be charging to deliver his prescription from next month. he is 87 and lives alone. surely in the middle of a crisis they should be helping elderly people stay at home not encouraging them to queue in a pharmacy. they say he can't pay cash on delivery and he doesn't have a debit card.

They shouldnt be charging. Can he change the pharmacy he uses? Can you ring them and ask a general question about delivery charges without giving his name

The NHS funded delivery service during the pandemic has finished so, whilst it isn’t ideal, pharmacies can charge for delivery. There are arrangements for a short term funded service during local lock downs though. The NHS has reduced funding to pharmacies over the last few years and there are pharmacies closing as a result. 136 have already closed this year with many more experiencing financial difficulty.

An alternative is to use a pharmacy with an NHS distance selling contract (AKA internet pharmacy). These have to offer free delivery as part of their contract but your uncle would lose the personal touch of a having a local pharmacy.

Edit - Boots started charging last year but paused it during lockdown, Lloyds (in certain areas) charge and I think Rowlands were starting to charge too so it’s not unusual.

Yes it’s a thing. I work in care in the community and most of the people I visit have recently been informed they’ll be charged for deliveries now.

Thanks all, just wanted to check it was true as you never know these days. I will see if i can organise a different pharmacy- his is Lloyds.or maybe I can pay annual fee on his behalf. he also had a letter for his flu jab saying he wouldn't get a home visit this year and to attend the surgery, the letter says be prepared to queue and wear warm clothes. there is no way he can queue and I am 160 miles away so he will miss it.

May I suggest trying a Superdrug if he has one close. We don’t charge if we deliver

At the pharmacy where I work we have had a few enquiries about deliveries as it's Lloyds in our area that are starting to charge. So now we have put a notice up letting customers know that we do a free service, so when a regular elderly customer came in to ask if she could have hers delivered, the pharmacist dithered about it, wanting to know for what reason and umming and ahhing, yet willing to take on new customers on delivery :mad2: Anyway, I just put her and her husband on delivery.

It’s such a difficult decision to make, isn’t it? On one hand it’s a unfunded service, and on the other a pharmacist just wants to do their best for their patients.

This is quite an interesting statement from PSNC https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk...-services-free

I work for Day Lewis pharmacy and we don't charge for deliveries although I'm aware many chains do.
With regards to flu vaccinations it is worth ringing local pharmacies and seeing what their plans are. Each individual pharmacy in our company has done a risk assessment and has worked out the safest and most effective way to vaccinate patients.
We offer 2 clinic times per day 10am and 3pm and have a maximum of 10 patients at those times. We have a queuing system outside the pharmacy but we do have plastic chairs available which are sanitised between each use. Each patient is taken into the pharmacy one by one their temperature taken and the vaccine given. So far we have managed to vaccinate 50 patients. Its a system that is working well for us and our patients and they are happy with it.
If i can advise any more please ask

I find this really;odd all,our repeat meds automatically go to the pharmacy and get delivered but/we choose to pick,up,it’s a free service in Scotland
Takes me 5 mins to,order everything for 17 of us and divide=into delivery or pick up all free