Son calls for more GPs after father left without urgent prescription for week

John Creaney said he ordered his father John’s prescription online last Tuesday but it failed to materialise.

“My father is on several medications including for his heart. I order it every month online and collect it at the chemists a few days later,” he said.

“I went to our chemists, Hamills, last Friday and Saturday but they said the prescription had not been sent. I went to the surgery on Monday and they said it would be ready by 5.30pm.

“When I returned they said it wasn’t ready as there were no GPs all afternoon to sign prescriptions,” said Mr Creaney, adding that the same thing happened last month.

Mr Creaney said his pharmacy was very helpful but added that he was aware of several children who had not received prescriptions for antibiotics.

“I don’t understand why it would take six days to sign a prescription. I believe there are no full time GPs left in the practice but that it is being run by locums.

“The Trust need to do something about it and employ more GPs at this practice,” said Mr Creaney.

A spokesperson for the Southern Health Trust which manages the practice said: “We are working closely with the Health and Social Care Board to ensure that GP services continue to be in-place for Bannview patients. A new lead GP and a full time GP on a block booking recently commenced work in the Practice. The remaining sessions continue to be covered by GP locums.

“There was an issue regarding the processing of prescriptions for a small number of Bannview patients but this has been rectified. We apologise for any distress caused to those patients.”

A spokesperson for the Trust confirmed that ‘block booking’ means a locum GP who has been booked for an extended period of time.

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