Any GPs advise on issue of being up to date with patients health ?

[limetrees32]

I find this so frustrating and wonder what would be the most constructive action to take.
Friend has severe memory issues - waiting for outcome from memory clinic and after 2 visits Oct 24 and Jan 25 and 2 brain scans we are waiting for results .
I visit GP with friend for an initial appointment where memory loss is discussed and for a second follow up appt suggested by GP to discuss other health conditions.
The thing is that the GP seems unaware of any previous referrals or to have read/received any reports.
During first appt she carries out various tests re memory and says not significant enough for memory clinic referral.i did interrupt and explain situation at this stage.
Friend presents well in the moment.
There is no awareness by GP of referral or ongoing involvement of memory clinic.
The same re rheumatology who have copied surgery results ( I've seen letter) and recommended medication .
GP did find a rheumatology report when I raised issue but it was an old one , pre dating dx.
Follow up visit is taken by GP responding to friends concern over dizziness. Many follow my finger , copy my action with eyes closed, blood pressure tests, "drunk test",ear check, eye check. Etc
I get need to respond to patient but friend has health check booked with practice nurse for two days later .
The surgery have been emailed and a conversation had ( with different GP ) prior to these visits with concerns over outstanding report and dx from memory clinic .
What to do ?
I understand v well how pressurised GP's are and of course I don't expect them to do an extensive read through of a patients notes for every visit .
But patient has no memory of clinic visits and can't be relied on to prompt GP during visit and I don't know how to be steer the appt when the GP is so oblivious but clearly trying to follow her patients lead.
Is there no head line on patients notes on screen that highlights current issues ??

So is the gp saying that they have no info or letters from memory clinic? Does friend have letter from memory clinic to call them?

They will have access to the letters - they'll have been uploaded onto the records system that the GPs share with most of the hospital trusts, but whether the GP's actually had hours in the day to go into the documents and read them is usually another matter.

My trust isn't linked into the same records system but we can generally see about 90% of stuff via another system - but it does take a conscious effort to go and seek the info out.

I'm not a GP but another healthcare professional who spends a lot of my time trying to get information to/from GPs!

Nope, no such screen.

Plus GPs have so little time they don't have 10-20 minutes to prepare before you come in by reading the letters and the last few notes entries.

There is a list of current problems but it's often full of rubbish.

I'd agree with your friend that due to her memory issues it's OK to butt in and interrupt.

Bringing hard copies of any letters you want actioned or to discuss is also very helpful.

@NellieElephantine I didn't get into a debate with the GP about whether she'd had them or not but she clearly hadnt seen them .
Friend doesn't remember clinic visits, I don't know if she'd had letter , but she wouldn't have them perseverance to phone them even she had .
@TorturedParentsDepartment lack of time well appreciated . Only answer for me to take over during appointment ?

Bringing hard copies of any letters you want actioned or to discuss is also very helpful
Thank you , this is kind of advice I'm after.

Health check with the nurse will not have included any of those examinations except blood pressure. And if your friend is older, dizziness is both a falls risk and potentially a sign of an acute infection. GP was right to prioritise, especially as that is what the actual patient wanted.

Sometimes clinic letters do go missing. Suggest help your friend prepare an econsult (GP surgeries must now make these available) with the concerns, the GP can read through it without distraction and will be able to ask admin to chase up any clinic letters if they have gone missing.

We have this issue with my grandparent and the short answer & most effective one that we’ve found is that someone needs to attend all appointments with the person, take notes of any crucial info you want to discuss/check/cover, and you give GP the update/summary of what has been going on and what you want from the appointment.

Ideally GP’s would have the time assigned to check recent notes/referrals/appointments and would be informed but the reality unfortunately is that they have back to back 10-15 minute appointments all day, with literally a matter of seconds between one patient leaving and the next one walking through the door.

If your friend is in England make sure she is on the NHS app. If she shares her medical information with you, then everything the GP has is on there so you can see letters, prescriptions etc.

Unfortunately it is likely that letters aren't read except for the bit at the bottom asking the GP to do something.

I also wanted to add that you are an amazing friend

Your kind words have cheered me up @AnnaMagnani . Thank you.
I can't go into all the detail but friend isn't ready for me to have access to her NHS app.
She is on the app but she's not able , for cognitive reasons, to use it.
She's very independent and in the face of mental decline is hanging on with her fingernails to her privacy and dignity.
It's a recent development that she is happy for me to go to appointments with her .

I take your point @PickedYourHillToDieOn but .
hard to explain but friend tends to live very much in the instant.
Walking round to surgery she was complaining a lot about stomach pains and loose bowels. She laughed and said ' well I won't have any trouble remembering to mention this to the doctor'
But she forgot , she mentioned the dizziness which hadn't appeared in her conversations that day , because , knowing her , she feels light headed when stressed , when tackling stairs ( up to the surgery) and because she doesn't drink enough and frequently measures low blood pressure.
She has arthritis and psuedogout which severly impact her walking and do pose a problem with stability when waking .
My point is , and I understand that the GP can't take this into account, my friend is unreliable in conveying health issues to the GP .
I do find out hard to understand why her memory issues aren't flagged up on her notes.
Yes, respond to presenting concerns but not to the extent that her other serious issues are never discussed.

Also @PickedYourHillToDieOn an e consult is a good idea in theory .
But it would involve being at her.home at 8am in order to make into the system before it's capacity is reached .
She won't be functioning at her best at that time in the morning and the task of getting her to log on to her tablet let alone into econsult and share all her health issues ( she has others I've not mentioned ) with me is doomed .
And believe me you do not want to experience this person when she is hungry ,frustrated and unhappy..Apart from anything re-establishing rapport and trust with me and the surgery ( she has zero tolerance for computerised systems) would take some doing.

Econsults now have to remain open during opening hours. That came into force beginning of the month. The alternative is obviously to write a letter and hand it in, ideally with your friend's assistance and blessing.

Thank you @PickedYourHillToDieOn .I think a hand written note is the way to go , I've hesitated and this so thank you for the prompt.
There is nothing on the websites of my friend's surgery or mine to suggest that e consult forms can be submitted throughout surgery hours so your information is very interesting.
Nothing on the news as far as I know , have I missed it I wonder.
But thank you for the information.