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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask are all GPs surgeries like this?

98 replies

Mincepiesallyearround · 30/10/2020 14:45

My local GPs are still not open for face to face appointments. Fine. Telephone only etc. I need a repeat six month prescription for my pill so emailed through the request. They replied saying I need a blood pressure reading first but they’re not doing them at the moment (due to Covid) - their recommendation is to buy a machine to use at home or try a pharmacy. I rang five local pharmacies this week but none are doing BP checks. I’m not happy that their casual response was just to buy a machine (£20-30ish and I’d only ever use it once). Money is tight and I can’t really justify it on a one time use. Are other surgeries like this at the moment?

OP posts:
Wroxie · 30/10/2020 15:17

Just find out what reading you need in order to get your pill without a fuss and tell them that number. You're unlikely to get an accurate reading doing the pump on yourself, anyway - you'd need a high-quality electronic one that you can use while still and relaxed and I imagine that costs more than £20.

I agree that this is ridiculous but the answer isn't just to do without your pill- the answer is to take matters into your own hands and cut through the nonsense and get what you need.

Mummydoctor · 30/10/2020 15:24

Why would you lie and potentially put your health at risk? That’s terrible advice. If it’s the combined pill and you have very high BP, you are at increased of thrombosis (blood clots) and need your BP monitoring/treating as well as possibly changing pill. I suggest you either get yourself a monitor or borrow one. If you genuinely can’t afford it then contact your surgery and ask to discuss with the practice manager.

Original poster
Mincepiesallyearround · 30/10/2020 15:26

123rd you could try ringing other surgeries in the area which I’ve just done - my second closest was most helpful and would have done the BP reading If I registered there except they’re without a nurse at the moment. She even dug out the numbers of some other pharmacies to try (I’ve already rung several!). What a bonkers world!

OP posts:
lazylump72 · 30/10/2020 15:26

You could get out of Alcatraz easier than you could get in to see one of our GPs at the moment ....

Jakobabear · 30/10/2020 15:29

I'd phone back and tell them you want to put an official complaint in and ask to speak with someone who can deal with this. I wouldn't normally be "that person" but it's absolutely ridiculous that they can't do a simple blood pressure test for contraception.

Diavoloroquito · 30/10/2020 15:36

Does anyone you know have a machine, even your neighbour? We have one. It’s very important that people have in their homes. I understand many can’t afford them. But it’s something to consider in the future.

Scarby9 · 30/10/2020 15:38

are you supposed to get your arse out over video link?
In some cases, yes! An elderly gentleman I know (late 80s I think, or even early 90s) had a phone consultation about a problem with his nether regions. He does not possess a mobile phone.
They asked him to send a photo. He said he didn't have a digital camera and wouldn't be able to reach to take the photo. They asked him to ask a friend or neighbour to take and email the photo...
He refused. And was seen in person.

loulouljh · 30/10/2020 15:41

I had to send photos in via a link of a problem. Despite getting an email saying they had been received the surgery claimed they had not received them. They then asked me to send them again. I refused and pointed out the data protection breach which appeared to have occurred. They said that was fine as it was a pandemic!! The very poor level of service so many people are experiencing is without justification.

I would call back and complain and say it needs to be done in the surgery. It would take 2 mins!

Sceptre86 · 30/10/2020 15:51

Not all pharmacies offer bp checks especially if they are for a pill check but it is always worth asking. A nurse at the practice should be doing it for you. Unless you really can't afford it I would buy one. A pill review should be done every 6 months to a year depending on age and type of pill so you will get use out of it.

I would also put in a complaint to your practice manager. They have had long enough to put in treatment paths during covid, refusing people is not acceptable.

mumwon · 30/10/2020 15:55

please don't buy one second hand they do go wrong eventually

ExclamationPerfume · 30/10/2020 16:02

That's ridiculous. Ours is running more or less as normal now. You do have to answer a Covid questionnaire before going though. I would contact your health authority.

ChaChaCha2012 · 30/10/2020 16:02

They’ve probably easily saved the £25 they paid in petrol over the years.

Here you go Mincepies, save up petrol money for several years and then you can buy one. About as stupid/ ignorant as the apparent GP who can't understand how people are short of money at the moment.

heartshapedfaces · 30/10/2020 16:07

Do you have any nurse friends/ acquaintances? Quite a few of my nurse friends bought cheap but perfectly good sphigs as students to practice on family members etc.

Put a post on your local fb group asking if anyone has a machine you can borrow? Obv clean before and after

GameSetMatch · 30/10/2020 16:09

You can buy 6 months worth of ‘the pill’ from the online doctor at Lloyd’s pharmacy for £15 much cheaper than buying a blood pressure machine.

DieSchottin93 · 30/10/2020 16:16

My local GP is lucky enough to have a "pod" in the waiting room where you can do a pill check so it takes your blood pressure and weight and you answer some questions. You just ring the buzzer at the door and explain you're there to use the pod to do a pill check. Although you do have to wear an enormous plastic glove that goes all the way up to your elbow Hmm Grin

cptartapp · 30/10/2020 16:16

It's a perfectly reasonable ask. Home BP readings are proven to be far more accurate than those taken in clinic. Even before Covid we encouraged patients to buy their own machines and ring in their readings, saves time all round and frees up appointments for others who do need to be seen. You don't need to understand or interpret the readings, the nurses will do that.
We've been seeing patients face to face all the way through, including suspected Covid, as well as doing many hundreds of telephone consultations and picking up extra work from secondary care.
Of course if we gave everyone an appointment who simply wanted one, (even if not necessary), you would currently have a few months wait to be seen due to social distancing measures, staff absenteeism due to self isolation and cleaning required between patients.
That's not great for people needing smears, child immunisations, urgent bloods etc.

2bazookas · 30/10/2020 16:18

most surgeries have BP machines they lend out to patients who are doing checks several times a day. I'd go back , tell them you can't afford to buy one and ask to borrow; they can sanitise it later. That would be very hard for them to refuse.

modgepodge · 30/10/2020 16:28

My GP surgery insisted I come in for a blood pressure check at the surgery at the height of lockdown - sometime in April I think! I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t just give me a month or two supply of the pill and get me in to check BP another time.

At my surgery it is in the waiting room and you do it yourself so need for contact with another person at all. I’d phone back and push for this. Even if you can afford a monitor, many people couldn’t and they should realise this.

cptartapp · 30/10/2020 16:31

*2bazookas guidelines currently say no to this.

BashfulClam · 30/10/2020 16:32

This would be bad for me. I need the old fashioned manual bp check. The electronic ones are useless as they always show my BP as being sky high then when checked manually it’s normal.

Harry978 · 30/10/2020 16:33

My dad has been in for blood pressure checks several times in the last month or so. He also has a blood pressure monitor that the drs gave him for free and he still goes in.

Bluetrews25 · 30/10/2020 16:44

This drives me and my colleagues who work in the hospital mad. We get exposed daily to all sorts of people coming in to ED. We have to see people. I have to get up close when doing my assessments. So I wear PPE! Shame that GPs don't seem to have any PPE judging by the lack of appointments and services available.
We all think that there is a lot of fear out there, and most of it seems to be at GP surgeries. Not impressed.

tmh88 · 30/10/2020 16:47

My GP is the exact same only doing phone appointments! It’s annoying as what is wrong with me needs seeing in person but they’ve said if not cleared up in a couple of weeks they will refer me to the hospital Hmm I did see the pharmacist who was lovely and reassuring and gave me some stronger tablets but I really do think GPS need to start seeing people a bit more.

Frazzled13 · 30/10/2020 16:55

My GP surgery had me in to take mine for the same reason. It was one of those machines you stick your arm right in, rather than something they wrap around your arm so the woman who did it (I think she was a receptionist) could keep distance better. I didn’t need an appointment, they just said show up whenever. I was quite impressed.

BiBabbles · 30/10/2020 16:55

Mine seem to be running these types of appointments (I haven't needed one for the GP, but our nurse practitioners are doing all sorts).

I think if it's vital for medication, they should really give better advice than just to buy your own. That seems risky to me as it's not that uncommon to get misreadings -- but then I have a long history of blood pressure issues, for most if you log enough to be able to tell when it's probably a misreading, it would probably be fine.

My GP surgery has previously given me the same recommendation before Covid, but then turned around and say that since they struggle so often to get one on a digital device (they regularly go through multiple cuffs and devices before going manual and/or calling in another member of staff to try and then it still can be. I lose so much appointment time to this whether it's connected to my hypotension or not) so I may need a manual too.

I've looked into it, but as the professionals struggle and mix of reviews on various sites, I feel a bit out of my depth with all the reviews and information on this.