A Dispensing Mishap..

Yesterday I needed to get a prescription dispensed.

This is a regular thing.

I get three items.

I used to get free prescriptions as part of my diagnosis was covered by some strange NHS rule, but my diagnosis changed slightly so now I pay for my meds.  

So I have one of those pre-payment cards.  

I pay £10.40 a month for as many scripts/meds as I need.

And that's fine.

I'd requested a repeat prescription from the GP surgery on Tuesday and then on Thursday I picked up the script and took it across to the shopping arcade, to the pharmacy there.

Now then.

I'm not keen on this pharmacy.

I can't put my finger on exactly why;  but I'm always happier when we use a different chemist to dispense meds.  

Yesterday, I queued up and handed in my script with my pre-payment card.

The lady behind the counter checked the card and handed it back.

She told me it would be 20 minutes for my medications to be ready, and that they didn't have one of the items; they would have to order it in for the weekend, so I told her I would pop back in half an hour for the items I could have, because I would run out of one of the tablets in the morning, so it was important I collected this today.

We went to the supermarket and did our normal shopping then drove back to the shopping arcade.

Man Wonderful went in while I stopped in the car with the grandkids (one was asleep). 

He was quite a while.

When he came out, he asked if I had handed in my prescription, because they couldn't find it.

I checked my pocket: I just had the card that they'd handed me back.

I started to panic.

I couldn't run out of this medication.  

It's prescribed by the hospital.  

I'm on a high level right now.  

What on earth do I do if I don't have it?

We swapped places and I went into the pharmacy.

I queued up.

When I got to the front I asked the woman about my prescription.

They couldn't find the script.

They didn't know where it was.

Sorry.

Sorry?

Er. I had no reserve meds.  

What on earth was I going to do?

The GP surgery takes 48 hours to produce a prescription.

The woman said she would ring my GP surgery and they'd probably probably fax a copy over.

Could I pop back in an hour - (get this) - just before they closed?

I of course had no option, but did ask what was I going to do if they couldn't sort out some meds for tonight...  

"Don't worry", she said "these things happen." 

These things happen!?

Do they??

When we called back 40 minutes later (I was so anxious I couldn't leave it any longer, and was already pacing like an expectant father outside a maternity suite..) they'd indeed got a copy of the script from the GP surgery, and my meds were there.

But.

Does this mean that the original prescription, the one with my full name, address, date of birth and list of medications on it has gone to someone else?

I don't mean dispensed to, but gone in their pharmaceutical bag?

Because that's a lot of personal information to be just "somewhere".