Please advise on how to speak to the GP?

[cherche]

Name changed. Posting on here for traffic rather than on the dedicated boards for Eating Disorders/Alcohol Support/Mental Health.

After years of struggling in silence, and significantly declining - I’ve convinced a beloved friend to seek help for all of the above issues which are now severely noticeable. She’s allowed me to chaperone her to the doctors this week where I need to convince the doctors to give her the right support for the above issues (augmented further by trauma and toxic home life). She’s broken enough to now be like a vuknerable child who needs looking after and has allowed me in to help her get help.

Does anyone have any advice on handling the GP meeting? Should I take notes/bullet points? Read them out? What specifically should I ask and advocate for that might best help her? The intention is that I give succinct overview and then ideally leave her in privacy to speak to doc.

Write a letter and drop it into the GP by hand. State at the beginning your relationship, that you are aware the GP cannot discuss any of the information to you.
Explain what your concerns are and that you help this information is useful when your friend is assessed, and that you are accompanying to the appointment. This will also be useful if the appointment does not happen for some reason.
Are there any children or vulnerable adults involved? If yes then safeguarding will need to be considered.

Your friend is very lucky to have you.

I would find out how long your appointment with the GP is. At my GP’s surgery the appointments are about 10 mins. Once you know how long you have you can decide the best means to describe the issues. The GP will probably refer her to the relevant healthcare.

You will need your friend, the patient, to say to the GP that you are speaking on their behalf with their agreement, 1st off. Then you will both need to know that she can only have help that she will accept and is actually available, she will need to engage with it, and it's not going to get fixed or maybe even started in one appointment

This. I would definitely give the gp prior notice of what to expect.

Thanks very much. All very useful advice.

Letter pre appointment can be really helpful. Also consider realistically that this is the first appointment, most are allocated 10-15 minutes, so it may require more appointments to address everything adequately and give everything the right attention.
What can be really helpful is considering what your expectations are of the consultation and any clear ideas of what treatment/support you expext ie no point exploring medication if talking therapy is what the expectation is for example