A DUNFERMLINE woman has run out of medication after her surgery said an appointment with a doctor was two weeks away.

Jeanette Fraser phoned Nethertown Surgery in Dunfermline on October 5 to request a repeat prescription as she only had enough tablets left for six days.

She and her husband, Phillip, thought that since the medication was working she would be able to renew without much trouble.

However, the earliest phone appointment with a doctor wasn't available until Monday next week, October 18.

This has resulted in Jeanette running out of tablets prescribed to her for water retention, which causes her ankles to swell and cause discomfort.

Phillip told the Press: "We phoned the surgery expecting just to be able to get a repeat prescription as the tablets were working but that wasn't the case when we phoned. We were told that she'd need to speak to the doctor in order to get a repeat prescription.

"The earliest appointment she could get was the 18th, and the tablets would be finished by then. The tablets were working, so shouldn't it be the case that the doctor could be told this and it would then be approved?

"We thought it would just be a case of phoning to let the surgery know that the tablets were working and then we'd be able to pick up the repeat prescription from the pharmacy the next day or whenever.

"GPs aren't seeing their patients face-to-face and it takes a long time to get a phone appointment; we thought asking for a repeat prescription would be easy enough to do.

"It shouldn't take this process to do that."

In response, Dr Helen Hellewell, associate medical director for the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, said: "Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Fife’s medical practices have remained open and have been required to follow current Government guidance, including the necessity for enhanced infection control measures and two-metres social-distancing within waiting areas, to ensure safe provision of primary medical services for the people of Fife.

"These measures remain under continual review. To ensure GP practices adhere to national guidance, they have had to offer a range of consultations, including seeing patients with greatest clinical need in person or by making use of telephone and video consultation to ensure people continue to have access to local healthcare.

"We appreciate that this Government guidance has resulted in longer waits for appointments at some practices and the frustration this causes, and we thank patients for their continued understanding during this unprecedented time.

"For those patients looking for repeat prescriptions, we would encourage them to get in touch with their GP or prescribing pharmacist in good time, and ahead of their current prescription finishing.

“Those who have taken medicines for a longer period or new prescriptions are often invited to review whether these remain the most effective choice for their condition. These tend to be non-urgent appointments and are most often carried out by a GP or pharmacist.”