Dad too unwell to get to hospital appointment

[ImHavingAnOldFriendForDinner]

Wasn't sure where to post this.

Basically my Dad is very very unwell and has finally got a hospital appointment Friday to have some tests done (we aren't expecting good news) but he can't get out of bed to get there. He is having awful diarrhoea most days and sleeps for many hours yet the GP has told my Mum today that if he doesn't get there then his appointment will be cancelled and he will be put back to GP care.

My parents GP has been absolutely awful through all of this and he should have been referred months ago so I'm not surprised she isn't being helpful now.

Does anyone have any ideas what we can do? If he still can't get out of bed tomorrow would it be unreasonable to ring an ambulance (we have done this before but they have refused to take him in as the GP was dealing with it)? Would the hospital be more helpful if we call them?

I think the Gp would be happy to leave him at home to just deteriorate.

@Talkaholic i’m guessing you didn’t get as far as reading op’s latest update…….

If GP has been that poor, and if he really is that poorly, wouldn't a genuine A&E ambulance call, for an A&E visit and then a possible admission, be the VERY thing he needs?

Read the update!

What an ordeal you've all been through. I'm so glad he's ok but that gp definitely needs dealing with. At worst they don't care, at best they're overworked and sinking and need help - who knows how many other elderly patients are being overlooked.

I would take some time to make a detailed chronological list of all the issues and the lack of help you got with each of them. Keep it factual and not emotional (even though this is a hugely emotional issue) and email the practice manager to start with.

There's also the GMC and the BMA who might be worth contacting. Don't assume it won't be taken seriously, it depends on the details of what happened from a clinical perspective.

@ImHavingAnOldFriendForDinner ah, that’s a mixed bag, I’m really pleased for you all that it seems like a relatively easy fix for your dad but you must be mad. All that worry and suffering for such a simple error.

I hope your dad is feeling better by the day

Sorry, missed update.
Please write a e-Mail of complaint to practice manager re GP, OP.

Call an ambulance, don't delay he sounds like he's really it, I have recent experience of this exact situation, gp was rubbish, consultants rubbish, 111 advice rubbish.
Go by your gut instinct, call 999 they will take him straight through to a e and he will be seen straight away ....be strong and firm and shouty if you have to .....don't leave it.....at hospital he will have medication, nursing care 24 hours and everything checked asap......do not wait for any appointments etc call an ambulance......you have paid your taxes etc this is what 999 is for an emergency and you cannot move your dad in transport(bus car)......sending hugs at this time stay strong!!

I'm so angry with the GP, he has asked and asked to be seen but everything has been done over the phone or with a repeat prescription. We will be complaining but even that feels useless

Stay angry and complain to the practice manager and say you want it recording as a significant event.

You should also send a written complaint to the pharmacy manager tbh because they should have picked it up too if some medications were contraindicated.

Glad your dad is now feeling brighter, so awful he has been through all that.

FFS that is a really atrocious story in a climate of absolute nightmare.
it sounds borderline criminal - certainly a case for negligence.
Please complain and send send all the relevant information.
Proof if proof was needed that the. NHS is in its death throes.
My GP has just phoned to say that they want nothing to do with my cancer treatment and to call hospital- hospital has no number
Basically the emergency number if I become unwell is 999
Looked up the comparative cancer survival
rates for Britain v rest of Europe - very sobering
glad your Dad is on the mend
Complain
change doctor
don’t hesitate to call 999

Omg that is horrendous! Surely someone is signing off the repeat medication and should have checked?! Thank goodness it was caught in time. I hope he continues recovering!

I am so glad to hear the update but whilst I know procedures have to be followed I have little faith following my own experiences with practice managers so do be prepared to keep going with the complaint if you are not satisfied. What a dreadful situation to be left in.

So good to read your update. We were told to complain too but then the fences came up and we were dealing with too much to fight so let it go. I still hate the GP concerned but he’s retired now and once again experiencing similar with other parent now and feeling powerless again to help but we’re speaking up more this time. Online distancing consulting is an even bigger barrier this time.

Can he transfer to another GP?

The BMA is a union, not a regulatory body, not all doctors are members, and even if the GP was, you can't "report" someone to the BMA.

Bloody hell OP your poor Dad. You do need to complain - get your MP involved. That GP practice should not be practising if they're making errors like this, I wonder how many other patients are similarly affected? I can't believe both the pharmacist and the doctor (s?) didn't pick up on this.

Appalling.

Oh my goodness, your poor Dad, though I'm pleased things are now improving for him.

I would insist ask his GP practice complete a significant event review of this incident to make sure it doesn't happen again. Each surgery has their own process and this link shows you an example https://www.somersetccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SEA-Template-March-2019.doc

It's not only that the meds were incorrectly reissued, but that his medication was not reviewed in all of the time you were trying to get to the bottom of this.

I'm sure you know only too well that this could have ended very differently. Best wishes to you dad

So glad to hear your father is so much better.

If you have the strength to complain please do. Check surgery website for their complaints process. Email or write to the practice manager stating (as pp above said) the timelines/what happened and asking for a review of your father’s case. I would copy in your local ICS (google for this, it will be based on where you live, www.england.nhs.uk/publication/the-constitutions-of-integrated-care-boards/) and copy in their chief executive, and copy your local Healthwatch (www.healthwatch.co.uk/your-local-healthwatch/list?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuO6WBhDLARIsAIdeyDKlrUkkRfR78ODeyHiZDNmMEYzdVjk7lDbthVO2a_eUq3jMe4tostgaAmVlEALw_wcB). If you need help complaining then there will be a free advocacy service (your citizens advice will know who/where) to help.

He was admitted before and diagnosed with heart failure so put onto medication but no one told them he should stop these other tablets and because everything is on a repeat prescription the GP hasn't noticed.

I’m glad to hear your dad is doing better.

The GP is massively at fault for not reviewing the meds.

The fact it’s on repeat is irrelevant. All the more reason to check it.

I’ll tell you another over-medicated old person story.

My elderly relative was waiting for a room to come up at a care home near us. I got a call from the home to say that an old lady had just gone into hospital on end of life care pathway, so a room would be coming up shortly.

Some time later I got a call to say that - due to the end of life pathway the
hospital had withdrawn all the lady’s meds - at which point she perked up considerably and was well enough to go home!

So glad you’ve had a happy ending. Definitely complain though, it really is a rookie error.

While I'm glad he's feeling better, please please make a formal complain about your GP. Otherwise others will experience the lack of care/treatment in the same manner.

How could a GP not spot that? Surely new prescriptions would trigger some kind of review to check for negative interactions or risk on liver etc?

I have to preempt this by saying I'm in the U.S. No NHS involved.

I always check to see if medications prescribed are needed and also their reaction with each other. (There are some good drug checker sites online). I don't trust the doctors to get it right, especially when you're seeing different doctors for different things. If I was taking every prescription I had been prescribed, I'd be on about 25 meds. I only take 2, which is pain medication and a low dose of prednisone.

My husband was in a bad accident and had 7 broken ribs and some other damage. He was in the hospital for a week and although his bones were healing, he was complaining about not being able to pee, poo was vomiting and dizzy. When I picked him up he was given a plastic bag full of medications he was supposed to take.

When we got home I went through them and tossed them all but the pain medication, which we changed for a different one from the GP. Many of the meds were for controlling the side effects of each other and others he didn't need, such as the gabapentin and muscle relaxers. His body was healing on its own. Knowing my husband he'd still be on those meds if I hadn't of stepped in. Once the unnecessary drugs were stopped he stopped puking and could pee and poo normally. He also could move around without getting light headed.

So pleased for your Dad that he's "on the mend" after the GP had made such a terrible error.
I wouldn't complain to the GP - I'd go higher.
Interesting that the Pharmacy also didn't spot this - normally they check all meds for counter indications/reactions, overdose etc.