Even after all this time you can still send me a fax

[venta]

Aww. When large institutions try to engage with the modern world, it's quite cute.

This morning I rang the doctors' surgery. "Hello," I said, "I want to order a repeat prescription, which I think you now prefer me to do over email. How do I register for this service?"

The receptionist who'd answered ummed and erred for a bit. Then she ahhed. Then she asked me to wait a moment. Then she came back on the line and ummed a bit more, and asked me to hold again.

Eventually she came back on the line and asked: "Do you have a fax number?"

I said no, I didn't. She erred some more. Eventually, she took my phone number so she could call me back to explain the prodecure to me.

She just phoned back. I was braced for a fairly intricate registration process. It turns out that what I have to do is send them an email them stating which prescription I require.

She's now given me the "email number" and I'm all good to go.

Comments

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

My surgery has an online booking system, but you have to physically go into the surgery and get them to set you up on the system - you can't just register. Apparently this is so they can ensure that only genuine patients register, but why they can't just check your NHS number and DOB against their records I have no idea.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Thing is, their system is a significant inconvenience to you whereas what you propose would be a minor inconvenience to them.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

It could almost certainly be automated so it would not be any inconvenience at all once the integration work had been done!

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

This is true... but then the automation in question would cost money. (Probably quite a lot of money given that they'd be linking a database full of confidential info with a web front end.)

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Ours will send out a PIN by post to your registered address if you ring and ask them for one, which seems a reasonable compromise. Unfortunately since I set this up I've never actually used it, because the booking system won't allow 1) same day appointments or 2) anything beyond two weeks ahead, which for my purposes renders it completely useless, but that's just me. And they haven't yet set up prescription requests via the online service, which would be useful.