Clarifying Home Delivery of Prescriptions
Things are changing rapidly in this current crisis.
There has been some confusion over:
· the process and criteria for registering for Home Delivery of prescriptions
· the role of the Fish Scheme in delivering prescriptions on behalf of the pharmacy.
Please note: Registering for Home Delivery of prescriptions can only be arranged through the pharmacy:
1. By phone: 01844 291960 *
2. By Email: jmwvicaryltd@aol.com (recent new email address)
3. Pharmacy website contact form at: www.jmwvicary.co.uk
*see recent plea on haddenham.net facebook for people not to ring the pharmacy just to check what the queues are like or whether their prescription is ready yet. These constant interruptions are stopping staff from dispensing medication and providing a service to customers in the pharmacy.
Criteria for Home Delivery of Prescriptions
· needing repeat prescriptions **
· self isolating – in vulnerable groups and those that think they may have the virus
· Elderly/infirm (who couldn't spend any length of time in a queue)?
** (please see "Help our Pharmacy" information about not ordering these too soon)
Role of the Fish Scheme in delivering prescriptions
In the past the Fish Scheme has been available to collect and deliver prescriptions for people unable to do that themselves, so people have been used to ringing the Scheme with these requests.
The Fish Scheme's role in this respect has had to change in the current circumstances. The pharmacy staff are working 7 days a week, in order to cope with the unprecedented and huge increase in demand for prescriptions and have needed help, which Fish Scheme volunteers are giving them.
JMW Vicary, (the Haddenham pharmacy) now prioritise the preparation and delivery of prescriptions so requests for Home Delivery need to go through them – as detailed above – and for the time being, not through the Fish Scheme.
The Fish Scheme is coordinating their DBS checked volunteers to collect and deliver Haddenham prescriptions on behalf of the pharmacy in order to both save time for the overstretched pharmacy staff and to reduce the need for people to queue outside the pharmacy. But Home Delivery is not going to be available to everyone – the criteria (at present) for this service are those listed above.
Fish Scheme volunteers are currently arriving twice a day to be given bags of prescriptions (as prioritized and prepared by the pharmacy). These volunteers then deliver the prescriptions according to an agreed Delivery protocol. ***
A Thame coordinator has also been set up to do the same for Thame deliveries.
***Apologies to people who are used to being able to contact the Fish Scheme to ask them to collect and deliver an individual prescription for them: with the Fish Scheme's changing role in this current situation, this will not be possible until life returns to 'normal' – which it will do eventually!
