To want to put in a formal complaint to my gp practice?

[Hellbentwellwent]

I’ve had an awful bloody day and am feeling really let down and upset. I had major gynae surgery last week, radical hysterectomy with extensive excision of deep infiltrating endometriosis, they removed my uterus, cervix, bother ovaries and tubes and a large area of my pelvic wall - not insubstantial surgery.

I was sent home with a catheter in as my bladder was traumatised in surgery. Catheter was removed on Monday and I was asked to go back to see my consultant today for a bladder scan to make sure it was fully emptying. Scan today was all good but they did a dip test and I have an infection so consultant wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic and a script for more painkillers (30/500 cocodamol) as I’ve run out and in a fair bit of pain

Husband was with me so we drove from the hospital to our gp surgery, the system is ridiculous in the first place. Because it’s a script from the hospital it needs to be taken to the gp surgery so one of their doctors can re write the script to take to the chemists. We’re in NI if that’s relevant as I know our system is different that across the water. Dh left me in the car as I was feeling shite and took the script up to reception, then called me to say the receptionist was saying it would be 48hrs before a gp could write the script.

Wtf??

For starters that bollocks because we did the same last week when I was initially released with a script for hrt, dh brought it round in the afternoon and collected it later that day.

Secondly it’s bollocks because I know they have a prescribing gp every afternoon for this purpose and for repeat prescriptions.

Thirdly is bollocks for someone who is post operative to have been seen by a surgical consultant and diagnosed with an infection be left to wait 48 fucking hours for antibiotics because a non medically trained receptionist seemed to be under the impression of it had been urgent then they’d have dispensed the antibiotic at the hospital... which she said to dh repeatedly....

I’m beyond livid.

Poor dh has been running about like a blue arsed fly trying to sort it, what if I didn’t have any help? I can’t drive for 6 weeks, I’m in pain and feeling pretty ducking vunerable.

I love our nhs and I appreciate how much pressure it’s under but the gate keeping at gp surgeries is a liability.

Anyone want to help me draft a letter of complaint to the practice manager about the level of service the receptionist provided. FWIW I’m medically trained, changed career path eons ago and think it’s beyond appalling that a receptionist with no medical training seems to think she can override the recommendation of a consultant.

Go easy on me... I’ve just had major surgery and been plunged into surgical menopause....

If you do need something urgently you can call the out of hours GP and they have a supply of a number of antibiotics and painkillers etc. The usual system (and it's written on the outpatient advice note) is that urgent items are dispensed by the hospital pharmacy, non urgent items are prescribed by the GP and they have 48 hours to do so. It's really rubbish for you that you were sent to your GP for an urgent item.

It's a bit late now as your GP practice will be closed, but my advice would be to ask to speak to the practice pharmacist. They are often the ones generating the prescriptions from the advice notes, and are often more accessible than the GP who will be caught up in surgery etc.

Delaying the antibiotics is terrible, it could result in kidney infection and being recently post op, your immune system is probably rock bottom.
Take your pain meds from your Mum, drink lots and make sure you don't spike a temp.
Give 'em hell OP Seeing the doctor was in the office thhis is the most ridiculous policy. Ours does 48 hours for repeats, but if the gp prescribes we get the priscription immidiatly, so no reason he can't fill the consulants prescriptions right away.

I’m from NI (not livestream there for 3 years but I’m over all the time) I’d go to a and e they can issue drugs. But I’ve got perscriptions off consultants before so that sounds strange to me. Also some chemists if you have a copy of the prescription will loan you part of you prescription (enough for 2 days usually) although not the painkillers but al least you could start your antibiotics now if they would lend you them. This is all stuff me or family have done in NI.

I think the complaint should be against your consultant, this is not the GPs fault. All 4 acute hospitals in Belfast (I assume you were there) have dispensing pharmacies for Outpatients. Its standard practice in NI for any other non urgent medicines to be written on the script you bring to your GP. This isn't new. Your consultant could have sent you to pharmacy.
Try the out of hours GP and see can you can get sorted over the evening, but most GP practices will do their best to sort you out even the next morning.

*lived there

There will be a pharmacy in the hospital. That's where you should have taken the prescription, it's nothing to do with budgets.

Also in ni... Go to out of hours and say about your pain levels show them the script and say your gp surgery refused to do it. They should be able to give you the medication or a script to get it if the chemist is still open. Ridiculous system though

Omg so many people here telling the OP she's wrong. And even after she explained she's in NI where it's a different system .

That's so shit OP. Hope the surgery manages to sort it tomorrow

I agree with this....
Two practical things: ring practice manager/speak directly to GP and explain situation and impact of delay.
Tell them how bad you're feeling and you're without meds...
Also I would be saying like a broken record... This needs to be expedited....

And/or ring jospital and say you can't get hold of the medication, asking them to intervene re contact GP /or give you meds.

But....
Whoever is responsible - its a shit policy.... Also you're lucky you have a family member able and willing to run around.... It's wrong that this has ended up being your problem.

Any letter I'd write would include the phrase...

It's completely unethical leaving me in such a situation with an active post operative infection, pain and all the sequelae... And consequential risks...

I'd write this to whoever you believe is the most responsible and copy it to the other parties..

If this is the system... It's shit, this policy has real consequences for the most important people, the patients... so would also recommend including people like MPs /CCGs etc

Ask for it to be remedied immediately.

So you had an operation done in a private hospital and that private consultant expects your GP to drop everything to prescribe you some drugs but because they can't you want to complain about the NHS? YABU, it's the consultant who is in the wrong here.

Hi! Im a nurse. I always click on these threads and expect to say 'please dont complain.'

But in this instance please, please complain. Thats just not good enough, that whole process shows systemic failures everywhere. Please complain to not only get your meds, but also so they review the system.

It is ridiculous that a Consultant cannot prescribe medication on a prescription that could be taken to a normal pharmacy to be dispensed by a qualified pharmacist, rather than the convoluted time wasting rigmarole of having to then take the prescription to get it written again by another Doctor and then be taken to the pharmacy. Here in the UK even my Dentist was able to prescribe antibiotics that could be collected from a pharmacy.
The system sounds rubbish OP , hope you have managed to get your painkillers and antibiotics now

Sorry you’re going through this
I see it like this:
Consultant has written a private script and so OP would be charged private prices if presented at pharmacy.
OP takes to GP to get it rewritten as an NHS script so is charged NHS script charge.
I may be completely wrong but it does seem incredibly daft!

I hope you are now feeling better.

Most GP surgeries have a turnaround period of 48 hours. That’s fairly standard. I imagine the receptionist was just quoting you this practice policy, when your husband handed over the hospital prescription.

However, in my surgery, for urgent prescriptions, the patient is asked to return later that day to pick up the prescription. Did your husband fully explain the situation.

The gp is actually under any obligation to write you the prescription as he hasn’t examined you, and is responsible for any prescription he puts his name to. The fact that a hospital consultant has requested it is irrelevant.

Also, I’m also surprised the hospital didn’t issue you wiping the antibiotic. That seems negligent to me.

Sorry, meant to read, the gp isn’t any any obligation...

The problem is the consultant - I bet he wants the GP to do the script so his hospital does not have to pay for it - happens in the UK, too. I work at a GP practice and the hospital MUST give a minimum of 2 weeks prescriptions to patients for exactly this reason in UK - as afr as I was aware NI is in the UK!

Why should a GP who has not been involved in your care get blamed for this ridiculous situation caused by the consultant. I'd be directing my complaint to the consultant - not the GP.

YABU to complain to the GP but YANBU to want to complaint - this is appalling.

Hope you feel better soon flowers]

We have the same rule here (central Scotland), following giving birth to my first baby I left hospital with a prescription for antibiotics and iron tablets and was told exactly the same by my gp practice. At the time I refused to leave until I could speak to a gp, after 2 mins the practice nurse appeared and 'authorised' it to go to a gp sooner and got the prescription later that day.

I changed practice as mine just insisted that was the policy, but funnily enough haven't had the same issues with the new practice.

Hope you feel better soon OP

The complaint should be made to the hospital, it's shit like this that adds to overworked GPs already stretched time.

The hospital did a test
The hospital made a diagnosis
The hospital is responsible for the treatment and aftercare.

They could have wrotean outside prescription if the pharmacy was closed or didn't have the drug in stock. No excuses.

Think most practices advise 48hrs but in practice emergency requests are dealt with same day, I had an emergency issued within an hour recently.

I had similar shite service by a receptionist, but decided not to complain for fear of care reprisals. Depends a lot on the practice manager. Tread carefully.

Otherwise I know most of our local pharmacists will dispense the meds anyway and just get you to drop the prescription down once GP issues it

Not for controlled drugs in my experience.

you have my utmost sympathy. I’ve been where you are and it’s life changing. I had the added complication in that they perforated my bowel while cutting/lasering the endometriosis from my abdominal cavity. I was however treated very well. On top of major surgery you’ve also got the devastating effect of no natural hormones. Let those around take the load and be kind to yourself.

I'm a GP receptionist. Also medically trained but needed a break from it and love being a receptionist! Despite that, I never offer medical advice.

Our prescription turnaround is 48 hours. However, we always do urgents same day.

I'd speak to the manager.

This is an insane system

OP I work in a GP surgery and if you don’t think you will get much from the practice then you can go straight to NHS England who will expect them to investigate and explain their rational

IME all surgeries have a duty doctor for exactly this type of thing. So you want to know why they did not help you

I'm in Scotland and the process is the same here however my surgery issued me the prescription the same day in a similar circumstance.

Can I clarify for anyone referring to this as a private script (unless I missed a bit about OP going to a private hospital, but even so those scripts are for a pharmacy, not GP) that this is not a "private script" this is a non urgent outpatient hospital script. I'm not undermining OPs pain, that's just what these GP notes amount to, and like any repeat prescription etc take 48hours.

There is a facility in any of the acute NI hospitals for take home scripts to be written in the hospital and dispensed in the hospital pharmacy. This would have been a far more convenient method for the OP to cut out having to wait to start her treatment. I'm hopeful out of hours should sort her out, but like I said above, most GP practices really are fantastic and will do their best to accommodate tomorrow if they can.
The complaint should be directed to the prescriber.