To think this GP policy is backfiring?

[ConfusedYetAgain]

I’ve had eczema pretty much my whole life. After years of dermatology appointments and lots of trial and error with different emollients and steroid creams me and my GP (sadly now retired) finally found a combination of stuff that keeps it generally under control.

Until a couple of months ago I requested my prescription as usual and when I went to collect it I was told my usual emollient cream and bath emollient are no longer available for cost reasons. Instead I’ve been given a different emollient cream and no bath emollient. I asked the receptionist how I could request this is reconsidered given my history and she said to make a GP appointment.

So, GP appointment 1 I explain my concerns, GP says I need to try the alternative cream, even though I’ve used it before and it wasn’t suitable. Also told me that if I had my heart set on the original emollient I could buy it myself. Not sure who has their heart set on a product they use to treat a medical problem (!) but I asked at the pharmacy how much it would cost and for the amount I need to use the emollient cream alone would cost me around £40 a month which is just impossible. I took GPs advice and tried the new emollient and went without the bath emollient as per her advice.

I was hoping it’d be okay but within a short time my eczema had really flared up and the mild steroid cream I normally use wasn’t helping. Cue GP appointment 2 GP is sympathetic but says there’s nothing they can do. Prescribes potent steroid cream, alternative emollient cream and aqueous cream to use instead of bath emollient. Advises me to come back if no improvement in 10-14 days.

Eczema continues to be worse so I make GP appointment number 3 GP again very sympathetic. Says that he’d prefer to just prescribe the emollient that has helped for years but he’s not allowed to. Instead prescribes potent steroid and antibiotic cream. Advises to return if no improvement in 7 days.

A week later, GP appointment 4 Same GP says he’s going to refer me to dermatology again as eczema not responding to usual treatment. I say this seems ridiculous when it was well controlled with my original emollient cream and bath emollient. GP agrees and says it’s possible dermatology will just recommend the original emollient and that the GP can then prescribe it as it’ll be on specialist advice.

So, the original cost cutting exercise has now led to this extra cost:
4 GP appointments
1 dermatology appointment
2 potent steroid prescriptions, 1 antibiotic prescription, several prescriptions for emollients that were only half used due to my skin reacting badly

I can’t help thinking that all of this must dwarf the saving they’d make by switching me to a cheaper emollient cream and banning prescriptions for bath emollients. AIBU to think it all seems massively counterproductive?

@Elendon, I very much doubt it, I do have some knowledge of eczema whereas Jennifer Aniston is a celebrity being paid a very large amount to endorse a product which the NHS is then paying for. According to Forbes, the bulk of the $21million she made last year came from, and I quote, "lucrative endorsements with brands like Smartwater, Aveeno and Emirates".

Who cares who it's advertised by. Of it works it works.

And as a pp rightly said there aren't many of any creams remotely similar.

Trust me patients stumble across what works over weeks if not months and years of trying multiple products.

No one ever discovered something worked just cos Jennifer Aniston made an advert

Btw aveeno didn't work for my dd.

Should the fact that Jennifer Aniston makes a wedge from advertising Aveeno mean that NHS patients should be denied it? Even if that means their eczema becomes worse, they suffer more, use more damaging alternatives, and possibly have to use more consultant time?

No wonder the NHS is falling apart. The people running it are clearly idiots.

Some disgusting and disgraceful comments on this thread. This is a chronic illness which presents in unique ways. Therefore what it responds to is unique according to the individual. I'm lucky at the moment as my GP still prescribes the emollients I need. I'm under no illusions that this may not continue. I already buy some things myself. I can guarantee those saying give it a try or it shouldn't be prescribed have not lived with this debilitating condition.
I've been on third line treatments and while they worked for a good while they're not a permanent solution. My condition is slowly deteriorating again. There is no cure. I'll never be free of it so I find comments like getting posh moisturiser for free/ cheap highly offensive. When you suffer with this genetic condition you hold on to whatever works no matter what as the alternative is too hard to bear.

OP I really hope things improve soon for you.

Just a few things:

1. Aveeno can still be prescribed on the NHS (I should know I picked up my NHS prescription on Tuesday)
2. Every CCG is putting in place different rules - google your CCG and find their rules if you can. I will search for you if you PM me your area.
3. If you have another GP appointment, consider asking for the refusal in writing. That way you have evidence if you want to badger your MP, and also they hate putting anything in writing. Tell them your work want confirmation that you did not change treatment voluntarily and that the GP will not return you to previous treatment.
4. Consider writing to your MP and to the CCG. Detail the 'cost savings' and then the increased real costs.

To PPs who think that it is just expensive moisturiser - do you buy 2 litres of moisturiser at a time?
Not using emollients (or using one that is inappropriate) leads to:

• more (and often stronger) steroid creams
• antibiotics

-taking more antihistamines(and then struggling to drive)

• having painful infected skin that means you struggle to move your limbs, all your clothes stick to you and you sleep with ice packs
• being able to work less and pay less tax as a result
• taking up more GP time
• needing dermatology referral

Or do people honestly just think people with eczema just have a bit of dry skin? I have no problem with being asked to try a cheaper alternative but if it dramatically worsens your eczema, it should be automatic that you are put back on the original treatment. Just for information, I do buy some of the things that I could get on prescription (because I can afford to) but I also have a PPC and get a substantial number of prescriptions a year.

Op, I’m so so sorry you’re going through this. It’s really shit
I have had severe eczema, and have only just managed to control it (for now) just a few small patches here and there atm.

Although, as ridiculous as it may sound to non sufferers everyday I live in fear of it coming back like before. My last flare up left me mentally/physically exhausted and depressed.

I saw a dermatologist privately (honestly not much help - she refused to give me an allergy test as she said it was unlikely diet was related) but one thing she did say was that I had very high levels of staph on my skin. For people with severe eczema their skin is often colonised with staph aureus (causing that horrible oozy weeping stage)

I started bandaging my worst patches with medical grade Manuka Honey dressings at night, which stopped me itching and really really helped (no more weeping and could finally move my limbs properly!!)