Citywide Health - Bishopthorpe Road Pharmacy — Local services in Great Britain

I have had to use this pharmacy on occasion, and I would estimate that I encounter a problem around 75% of the time. I have been left sitting and forgotten while waiting for prescription items several times. One time I was waiting almost an hour (I was collecting prescriptions for 3 people) and when I went to the counter and asked about my order, they hadn't even started on it and actually laughed and told me that they had forgotten about me even though I was the only person sitting there at that point. I have been given wrong and bad (even dangerous) advice by someone I can only presume is not qualified to give medical advice. I have lost count of the number of times that prescriptions have been lost or mislaid, even when sent electronically, requiring me to go backwards and forwards to the doctor's surgery. If they do not have all of the prescription items in stock, they don't tell me before making up the prescriptions, to give me an opportunity to go elsewhere. There are many items on my prescriptions, and every other pharmacy that I visit will tell me before starting to make up the prescriptions if there is something that they don't have in stock. I have been told that they don't have an item in stock, when I can see said item in boxes piled up behind them. I was told I would have to come back for that item 'next week' and they could not complete my prescription. When I pointed out that I could see the item, the prescription was begrudgingly made up without apology. I have had items missing from prescriptions and had to go back. In recent years, I have always checked the bag before leaving the premises as I have come to expect problems and mistakes, and some items that I collect for other people are controlled drugs and this could cause problems for me if they are not in the bags when I deliver them. The final straw for me was yesterday when I went in with my husband who had grit in his eye and he asked for saline solution or something else to try to flush it out. He explained that his eye was sore and bloodshot and asked for advice from the young woman behind the counter. She recommended a box containing what she called an 'eye wash' and said that it was the best product for him to use as it would disinfect the eye as well as cleaning it. When we got home and opened the box, we saw that it was actually contact lens cleaner and not an eye wash at all. We checked the product online and could not find anything that advised putting the product directly into the eye, and that it would have damaged his eye. When we took the box back, we were given a refund and it was only at that point that the young girl asked the advice of the pharmacist who recommended an Optrex eye wash. The pharmacist was not told that my husband had been sent home with contact lens cleaner to put in his eye. I'm just glad I was with him to be able to read the box and instructions. I won't be setting foot in that place again and will walk into town and use one of the Boots pharmacies where I have very rarely (if ever)...

Pleasant staff but unreliable and unhelpful.

This was my nominated pharmacy. My medicine keeps me alive. I have changed mostly because they hang onto prescriptions for ages before saying that they cannot fulfil them, leaving little time to get back to the GP to get replacements.

Not only this, but they have twice rejected prescriptions for 200mg pills at the last minute because they only have 100mg ones. The second time they initially did not even tell me that they had the 100mg but told my wife to ask the GP for an alternative (despite knowing that this medicine has no alternative) because they could no longer get the medicine.

They could have phoned my GP surgery to ask them to substitute a prescription for 100mg but did not do this on either occasion. Instead they wasted the time of a GP and GP's pharmacists by making them deal with me instead of doing it directly themselves.

In the end, I arranged to see the manager and she gave me the originally prescribed 200mg pills - I assume from another branch. However, after I offered suggestions on improving their procedures she said that I was no longer welcome at this branch and implied that I had made staff anxious by questioning them.

I agree with Helen Hills when she says: "there is something seriously not working at this chemists". I suspect, but cannot prove, that this is due to the inflexibility and lack of common sense imposed from above.

My last bit of advice is for staff to reassure patients and advise clear and viable solutions, rather than simply stating that things cannot be done.

Avoid unless your illness is trivial and you...

I have been getting my repeat prescription from this pharmacy for the last two years. It’s a very simple prescription, two boxes of the same, commonly used, medication, and yet they have managed to get it wrong three times. Each time necessitating a return visit. The most recent occasion was just ridiculous. My husband picked up my prescription and, on arriving home, I realised they had only put in one box of my medication rather than two. On phoning, I was told to return to collect the second box. The next day my husband returned only for them to refuse to give him the rest of my prescription because he hadn’t brought the first box back with him!! I fail to see how this would have made any difference but they were adamant. So he had to return home and go back once more. So, three trips to get one, simple prescription. It’s unacceptable and...