GP can't give medical advice on phone while patient abroad?

[DorothyL]

Just phoned my gp - we are on holiday abroad but ds has ongoing health problems.
I was told that I could not be given medical advice while we are abroad ? Does anybody if this is right? I just wanted some advice regarding his medication.
Am rather baffled!

You can't just pop antibiotics in the post

My DH has bronchiectasis, and keeps a supply of co-amoxiclav at home which he can take on holiday.

He was advised to keep a supply at all times, start taking a course if he felt unwell and either supply a sputum sample to local doctor, or wait until he gets home if short break.

I'm sorry DS is feeling unwell, but I agree it shouldn't be too complicated to tell local doctor that he has bronchiectasis, provide sputum sample and get anti-bs.

Then perhaps going forward it be an option for you to have a home supply for these situations?

Surely if he needs antibiotics he needs them straight away anyway not by the time they have been posted?

Did the antibiotic he was having before help? If so I would arrange to see a local doctor and ask for another week of that to be prescribed.

Gosh - I had no idea of this rule.

Are you somewhere you can get anti-b's over the counter?

Most antibiotics need to be refrigerated too don't they?

The thing is with ds that if you just saw him you wouldn't think there is much amiss - he's fine in himself, no temp, just an occasional cough. The need for treatment arises from the underlying issues.
This is exactly the reason why it would be better to talk to somebody who knows his background.

Ab tablets don't need to be refrigerated.

No otc ab's here.

Wow I never knew that about not being able to advise once outside of the U.K.

Ds has medication which I'm allowed to dose adjust within a limit (thankyou sensible consultant!) but if I ever needed to ask I'd have just rang as well.

Thankyou for explaining the position on here GPs and consultants.

Ds presents the same but I have never had any issue when on holiday getting them when I have explained the situation and history.

Can a pharmacy in France, for example, accept a prescription written by a doctor registered and working in Britain?

In theory they could. I'm in Finland and doctors here can prescribe a Europe-wide prescription so there is a special European prescription but whether NHS doctors do it or not I don't know.

OP in this case you do need to go see a local doctor and give them your GP's contact information because making a new antibiotic prescription generally requires a physical examination as there may be another infection involved or something else, especially as you have travelled abroad (if you went by plane, think about how easy it is to get ill from the recycled air)

I'm with the OP on this one. One of my long term patients went overseas, got sick, used their travel insurance and went to a local doctor. She was prescribed a cocktail of drugs, in Spanish. Her mum was understandably nervous so contacted me to check they were ok. After I'd translated the drugs from the photos, one was something I would never prescribe, one was utterly pointless and the other was a sedating antihistamine, contraindicated in her age. I was happy to advise in that situation and risk any medicolegal issue because to not do so would have been detrimental to the child. It's a bit of a stretch to say a GP is risking their livelihood by making sure a patient is prescribed the correct antibiotic for their sensitivities. I struggle to imagine the GMC getting their knickers in a twist.

Thank you NotBad

When ds was a baby he ended up 12 days in hospital here (Germany) because the doctors here tend to be very thorough and cautious.

Back in the UK the doctors were aghast at this overreaction.

Three health professionals in the U.K. were happy for ds to go away on holiday.

When having these discussions about going abroad with your ds, who was already struggling/on abs, did you discuss what would happen if his condition deteriorated while abroad and how you would get further support if needed?

Hope the local doctor can help and your ds is feeling better soon.

It was wrong to say he was struggling - he was and is fine in himself apart from an occasional cough, but his condition means it needs to be dealt with.
He has not deteriorated but his symptoms have not gone away either.

I did not discuss what I would do because I assumed I could phone for advice in a situation such as this, or see a local doctor if there was a marked deterioration.

Yours in obviously a special situation, I can see why you're annoyed but also why the doctors here have to abide by the rules. Not very helpful I know.

I wasn't aware that you couldn't post medication, why is that, would it be wrong for example to post tablets to someone who went to a different part of the country and forgot to pack then. Posting them seems like a sensible thing to do

Why don't you contact one of the three health professionals who oked you to go abroad?

Surely they can't deny you help if they agreed for you to leave.

One was the go, who won't help

One was a respiratory nurse at the hospital - I don't have contact details

One was the consultant - secretary not answering phone

would it be wrong for example to post tablets to someone who went to a different part of the country and forgot to pack then

Surely if a medication is available via prescription only it is governed by some kind of legal control so I think it's unlikely that any prescription drug which is intended for use only by the person named on the label can legally be posted.

Sorry but the more you post, the more I wonder why you don't just take your son to be seen by a local doctor. Please get him seen. I understand it's annoying but your child has a serious condition, the sputum sample is not recent and he is not improving. I'm not a doctor but I am veteran of lung issues and I think you're wrong to be fussing over the GP's reluctantance. Given everything you've said, I completely understand why - in your son's case - it's not appropriate. He needs his chest listening to be a doctor.

SunnySkies actually that's not true. Kids with bronchiectasis usually commence treatment at the onset of a wet cough to prevent further damage from infection. Listening to a chest in that situation is rarely helpful; if you hear crackles, they need treatment, if you don't hear crackles, they still need treatment, because they have a wet cough. Usually a standard antibiotic is commenced such as Augmentin but if there's no improvement or it's been shown that bacteria on a sputum sample are resistant then another antibiotic is needed. Hence the need for the sputum sample result. The OP could go to a local doctor, who may or may not be familiar with treating children with bronchiectasis and send another sputum sample off, wait a few days for the results and then start an antibiotic based on that, or someone could just tell her what her DC is colonised with over the phone and get an appropriate drug prescribed without a delay. It's common sense. All the GP has to say is "the sputum grew [insert name of organism] and it is sensitive to [insert list of antibiotics] and the OP will be sorted.

Surely if a medication is available via prescription only it is governed by some kind of legal control so I think it's unlikely that any prescription drug which is intended for use only by the person named on the label can legally be posted

Of course its Ok to post prescription drugs - there are numerous online pharmacies that offer the service. I even got my IVF meds direct from the supplier sent via DPD

NotBad thank you so much, you put it so well!!

I travel alot, if I have been ill I have been to the local abroad chemist, doctor or hospital
It would never occur to me to contact anyone in my home country!