Important Information – Dispensing Services
Changes to Our Dispensing Service
We are writing to inform you of some important changes to the way our dispensing service operates.
As many of you may be aware, we have recently migrated to a new clinical system called Medicus. Whilst we are still becoming fully familiar with the new system, we are confident that, once fully embedded, it will help streamline our dispensing processes and improve the service we provide to our patients.
In the past, we manually sent text messages to patients when their medication was ready for collection. Whilst this was not a contractual service requirement, it was something we offered with the best of intentions to support our patient community.
Unfortunately, during particularly busy periods, it was not always possible for our team to send these messages. This often resulted in a high volume of telephone calls from patients checking whether their medication was ready. Although our telephone message asks patients not to call the dispensary regarding ready prescriptions, the volume of calls received each day significantly impacted our ability to dispense medicines efficiently, ultimately slowing down the process and affecting how quickly prescriptions could be prepared.
Our new Medicus system includes an automated notification process
Once your prescription request has been received and approved, you will receive a text message or email confirming this. The notification will advise you that your medication will be ready for collection two working days later
This new process will help reduce unnecessary telephone calls, allowing our dispensing team to focus on preparing prescriptions safely and efficiently.
Temporary Change to Dispensary Telephone Access
Whilst we work to reduce our current dispensing backlog, telephone calls to the dispensary have been temporarily suspended. This will allow our dispensing team to focus on processing prescriptions and reducing waiting times. We will proactively contact housebound patients to ensure they have adequate medication supplies during this period
As our Patient Services Team cannot assist with medication queries, we kindly ask that any genuine medication-related enquiries are made directly with the dispensary. Please visit the dispensary and a member of the team will be happy to assist you.
Introducing Our New 24/7 Medication Collection Pod
We are also absolutely delighted to announce that we have invested in a 24/7 Medication Collection Pod, giving patients greater flexibility and convenience when collecting their medicines. The physical installation is now complete and we are currently setting up the software elements.
Please keep an eye out in dispensary for further information, as once the Medication Collection POD system is ready patients who would like to use the collection pod will need to register for the service.
Once your medication has been placed in the pod, you will receive a unique PIN code by text message. This code will allow you to collect your medication at a time that suits you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As space within the pod is limited and we want as many patients as possible to benefit from this service, medications must be collected within 48 hours of being placed in the pod. Any medication that has not been collected within this timeframe will be removed and returned to the dispensary, where it can be collected during normal opening hours.
Our commitment to our community
We recognise that our dispensing services have been under significant pressure in recent months and, at times, we have not been able to provide the level of service that we aspire to deliver and that our community rightly deserves. We understand the frustration this may have caused and would like to thank our patients for their patience and support during this period.
We hope that these investments in both our new Medicus clinical system and our 24/7 Medication Collection Pod will enable us to provide a more efficient, convenient and reliable dispensing service, whilst meeting the expectations of our patient community.
Thank you for your patience, loyalty and understanding as we continue to improve the services we provide.
