Old Pharmacy Thread

tbh

Howdy all -

Not one to pass rumours or anything, but I was getting my scrip filled at my regular chemist today and the pharmacist made a point of telling me to "make sure to get plenty of supplies before Christmas fairly soon". I told him I was traveling for most of October and November so would be stocking up anyway, but he said "ok, at that point get your supplies right up to Christmas - just a heads up". Now, he could be saying that things will be busy before then, but I've been going to this guy for 10 years, and he's never said anything like this to me before. I got the distinct impression that he was trying to subtly tell me something. If your chemist says something similar, let me know and we can start the conspiracy rolling.

Saibh

would it have anything to do with the HSE announcing they were slashing prices it pays pharmacies for drugs - heard something about it last week i think

Odysseus

ulster wrote:

would it have anything to do with the HSE announcing they were slashing prices it pays pharmacies for drugs - heard something about it last week i think

From what the pharmacists in work are saying I think you could be right. They are not happy bunnies.

tbh

ulster wrote:

would it have anything to do with the HSE announcing they were slashing prices it pays pharmacies for drugs - heard something about it last week i think

ahhhhh - I wonder if we'll be hit for the difference?

tbh

Just back in the same place today, he made the same remark, it seems like there will be strike action or a refusal to dispense - his exact words: "it's going to be ugly". Stock up now I reckon!

robinph

I seem to remember hearing something vauge about a change coming in what they will pay for but never actually paid any attention to the report. Does anyone have any links to when this came out and what they are suggesting to be changed?

tbh

This seems to describe the background well

deepimpact

Okay, I'm in the profession as a student (4th and final year)
The main point of this is that GMS (medical card) services are to have reduced the amount paid to the pharmacy by about 9% to 8% and another 1% as of January 2009.
What that basically means is that the HSE will pay pharmacists less than what it costs to dispense the medicine based on the ex-factory price of the medicine plus dispensing fee of eur2.98 as opposed to the wholesaler's price that was previously in operation.
That means GMS services will run at a loss to the pharmacy and given that certain pharmacies can have up to 75-80% of patients eligible for the medical card, that's fairly bad news.
Of course, there are ways around this, such as G.P.'s prescribing generically which would save much more money than this price reduction.
This scheme will almost definitely be brought in throughout the reimbursement schemes so it will affect the Drug Payments Scheme, LTI scheme etc.

Odysseus

Well it looks like the first step will start on Monday, a refusal to dispense methadone, which will cause a certain amount of discomfort as those clients will have to return to the Addiction Services to be dispensed and we are in most cases operating with full books, without all of those who recieve their meth in the community. It is ironic with the HSE attemping to implement cutbacks that the Addiction Services are now looking at opening from 5pm to 10pm if this happens, and that won't come cheap. Though I supect that it will be sorted by then.

The_Conductor

According to my local pharmacist- they will no longer dispense medications under either the Long Term Illness or the E85/month schemes from the first of November. They will continue to dispense- but you will have to pay the full whack of the medications upfront, and reclaim an excess on a quarterly basis from the HSE (I think the excess is Euro 250/quarter- similar to 3*85).

It is my understanding that this is limited to local pharmacies, and is part of their campaign to get the HSE to recognise their union (Union of Pharmacists of Ireland) and that they may take further action if the HSE continues to refuse to recognise their union. I understand that pharmacy chains (Boots/Clarins etc) are not affected by the action.

My own pharmacy advised me to stock up (a months supply at cost price would be between 600-700 Euro for me- which is a lot of money to try to budget for- even if you know that you'll be able to claim a lot of it back).

If anyone has any solid information on what is happening- I would be grateful if they could post it here on this thread.

Regards,

S.

DrIndy

I think the situation is going to be a changing one in this dispute. Once again the HSE has the completely wrong approach in dealing with people. First they fight with the nurses, then the consultants, now they are "taking on" the pharmacists.

No one is safe, this will keep on going and the only people who actually suffer are patients who get a worse health service as a result.

robinph

Could be cheaper to hop on a plane and pick my stuff up for free from the NHS then. Not been to my usual chemists in a while so not sure what they'll be doing regarding this yet though.

The_Conductor

robinph wrote:

Could be cheaper to hop on a plane and pick my stuff up for free from the NHS then. Not been to my usual chemists in a while so not sure what they'll be doing regarding this yet though.

As far as I know its £7.50 per prescription from the NHS- regardless of what is in the prescription. They do not dispense some of the more exotic drugs under the scheme though (such as Budenlfalk for Crohn's disease for example). You also need a UK prescription by a UK registered doctor- an Irish prescription will not be honoured.

I do take your point though- even when the schemes are up and running- we do pay through the nose for them. How did IR£40 morph into Euro 85?

S.

robinph

But once you have diabetes you get everything for free on the NHS, without even the £7.50 per item charge. I used make use of a £70 a year fee that they had when I was just getting the asthma and hayfever stuff many years ago but they then became free once you get one of the long term conditions, I picked up a supply of stuff earlier in the year when I was in the UK for a while and was running low so am already registered with a GP there again now.

europerson

I'm a diabetic, and I haven't had need to go to the local pharmacy I attend lately (since this debacle began), but I shall have in the next week or so. What am I supposed to do, if the pharmacy is participating in the protest action? Ought I to take my business elsewhere (if possible) or ought I to pay up willingly? Do I break almost ten years' business or continue it?

The_Conductor

Its a difficult one to call- our local pharmacist has longterm med cards and all repeat prescriptions on file (she has several filing cabinets full). It was convenient to hand them over at the time- but do you request them back now and go elsewhere?

deepimpact

smccarrick wrote: »

According to my local pharmacist- they will no longer dispense medications under either the Long Term Illness or the E85/month schemes from the first of November. They will continue to dispense- but you will have to pay the full whack of the medications upfront, and reclaim an excess on a quarterly basis from the HSE (I think the excess is Euro 250/quarter- similar to 3*85).

It is my understanding that this is limited to local pharmacies, and is part of their campaign to get the HSE to recognise their union (Union of Pharmacists of Ireland) and that they may take further action if the HSE continues to refuse to recognise their union. I understand that pharmacy chains (Boots/Clarins etc) are not affected by the action.

My own pharmacy advised me to stock up (a months supply at cost price would be between 600-700 Euro for me- which is a lot of money to try to budget for- even if you know that you'll be able to claim a lot of it back).

If anyone has any solid information on what is happening- I would be grateful if they could post it here on this thread.

Regards,

S.

The whole point of this is the mark up and dispensing fees being paid to pharmacists.
With the GMS % mark up drop, some pharmacies will be badly affected (mainly the rural ones), whose businesses are at risk of closing.
The methadone thing is slightly different- the HSE promised vaccines, added security and a Garda liason officer...but did not deliver, so 140 pharmacies pulled out of the scheme in Dublin.
The planned action in November will cut all medicines supplied under the main drug supply schemes ie the DPS (85eur/month), LTI scheme, GMS scheme etc. This will not take place in all pharmacies because the HSE has refused to recognise the Irish Pharmaceutical Union as a representative body

robinph

I shall have to remember to go along to mine now before november just in case, but i'll take my business elsewhere if they do want to start charging silly amounts until this sorts itself out. There will then have to be a load of angry letters sent out to whatever TD's it is that apparently represent me.

anotherlostie

I don't think they intend doing this til December, so no need to panic just yet.

And really it will have to be sorted out before then, because it is one thing to cause methadone patients to have to travel a distance to get one drug, but it would not be possible to look after all the asthmatics, diabetics, etc etc.

It is hard to be sympathetic for a profession that makes lots of money but the HSE is telling them to take a pay cut of over 50% without any negotiation. I know that if someone told me that, I would be out on strike as soon as I left the room!!! There is something seriously messed up in the HSE and Harney should try and sort through the eegits that work there first and then go after the professionals in a sensible manner.

The_Conductor

Latest rumour is that the action is postponed until February.

tbh

threads merged.

Odysseus

I have to say a report was pointed out to me in one of those free papers yesterday [the Metro I think] where the president of the IPU stated the he was urging pharmacists to recommence with meth due to the fact that "the HSE's contingency plan was clearly failing". A tad insulting I felt as most of the staff at clinics work til 10.00pm last week, and the needs of all clients were met.

Carsinian Thau

Mine too.

I am honestly disgusted by this. They are threatening patients and not the government.

I intend to find an alternative pharmacist (hopefully one that has nothing to do with this disgraceful behaviour exists) and recommend that anyone I know do the same.

I am genuinely angered by this and I think these pharmacists should be made to pay through huge business losses. Regardless of outcome.

ElBarco

Contact details for the ipu:

http://www.ipu.ie/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=54

Their "Press and communication" person would seem to be the person to deal with this issue.

tbh

that's whi I sent the original mail to - no word back as yet

tbh

Just to say - I think that the fact that the IPU are willing to use patients as pawns in a game of brinkmanship is absolutely disgusting. I would urge anyone from the IPU who may be reading to contribute here, because I'll tell you this - as and from tomorrow, I'm never getting my scrip filled ANYWHERE but Boots (who are not on the list) - no matter what way this turns out. I feel like we have been stabbed in the back, and I won't forget this quickly.

Carsinian Thau

wicklowgal wrote: »

I had all my meds priced today and the amount it came to for 1 month - I wouldn't earn that much in the month!!

Don't worry. There will be some pharmacists who won't do such a thing.

I intend to change from my pharmacist anyway. I regard this as a threat to me.

byhookorbycrook

the two pharmacies in my town are on that list...

mike65

Looks like every Waterford outlet is on that list.