I was recently given a prescription by a private consultant and told it was for an unlicensed drug only stocked by Boots hospital pharmacies. However, the Boots pharmacist at Derby hospital refused to accept the prescription because it was from a private consultant. He advised me to go the main hospital pharmacy, but this didn’t stock the drug and couldn’t access the Boots supply for contractual reasons. I was sent home without the treatment after a three-and-a-half-hour round trip. When I complained, Boots said it is not licensed to fulfil private prescriptions despite the fact that its website states that it will dispense private prescriptions from any Boots pharmacy. RT, Belper, Derbyshire
Only when I contact Boots’ press office does the company acknowledge an error on its website.
“The majority of Boots pharmacies are able to dispense private prescription items, but our hospital pharmacy in Derby is one of a number that holds an exclusive contract to dispense only outpatient prescriptions for the Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,” says a spokesman. “We’ve updated the website and apologise for any confusion.”
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