To ask are all GPs surgeries like this?

[Mincepiesallyearround]

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?

Our surgery have been generally excellent including over lockdown - all the remote/telephone consultations have worked fine.

But they did ask us to go out and get a blood pressure monitor to submit a reading for a family member’s repeat prescription. I was happy to comply because it seemed a worthwhile investment for a four person household, and I was keen to do my bit for social distancing, but I don’t know what they’d have done for someone who couldn’t easily afford it.

@Mummydoctor

All the surgeries in our patch are recommending patients who need BP measurements either regularly or occasionally purchase their own monitor for remote measurements. This will reduce the need for face to face appointments for simple BP readings during the pandemic. This is likely to be used In the future too and given a monitor is £15 on Amazon we don’t think that’s an unreasonable investment in one’s own health.

But surely if it's that important that you have to have a BP reading before prescribing it should be done properly by someone that knows what they are doing?

How many people will see their BP might cause issues getting their pill (for example) and just give you a made up reading instead?

My surgery is similarly crappy OP - I need a repeat prescription and every single time there is some balls up. I actually have my own BP machine but that doesn't always help.
They make it impossible to get in touch except by phone and then it takes 20-30 attempts over a number of days before I can talk to someone who then sorts it out :(

Gurglebelly, I’m now quite tempted to start a thread titled “I want to submit my blood pressure reading remotely to my GP but he says I need to come in to the surgery and have it done under his eyes so he knows I’m not just lying about my numbers to get the pill”. Press send and get out the popcorn.

@Abraid2 - she told you why, she can't afford it. And home devices aren't that reliable either.

I'm ranting at my surgery atm, for the past umpteen years I've ordered my repeat prescription online, They've updated their website and ordering online it is currently inaccessible, so I thought OK I'll phone ... it seems for patient security we can no longer ring to ask for prescription, theyve never allowed the chemist to order them on our behalf either, therefore I now have no choice but to have to travel to the surgery to hand in my repeat slip request. We're currently in tier 2, Monday the earliest I can go we'll be in tier 3, I'll have to go by public transport, bus there, walk through the bus station and a shopping centre to get to the surgery, same again on the way home. I can't help but think what kind of buffoon is making these decisions at the surgery, without my meds I'm dead, but taking the risks to get them could kill me too

Mine is the same - prescribed me a year of the pill over the phone and said they couldn't do a BP check, told me they'd do it next time. In a year!!

[quote luckylavender]@Abraid2 - she told you why, she can't afford it. And home devices aren't that reliable either. [/quote]
You ought to tell the British Heart Foundation to remove the list of blood pressure monitors they have on their validated list if you think they're not reliable.

bihsoc.org/bp-monitors/for-home-use/

It seems there is a real range of standards at the GPS ah the moment. How can some be functioning more or less normally (with precautions) and others flat out refusing to do face to face. Before I remembered I should email to request the prescription I was on hold for over 10 mins despite being ‘first in the queue.’ After I emailed they initially sent me a text saying buy a machine and I couldn’t even reply to the bloody text as it was one of those numbers you can’t reply to!

Finally managed to get a face to face appointment with a doc for my DS. On the day, the doc rang me to say we could come in anytime in the hour before his appointment as he was free. When does that ever happen?! Also had 4 phone appointments with various different meds prescribed over the phone before they agreed to see him. I'm not thrilled at the moment!

My doctor is open as usual. She's doing well patient visits in the morning and everything else in the afternoon.

The Omron BP machines are very reliable.

My GP is doing face to face but only when deemed necessary. But still doing things like B12 jabs. I went for my last one and the nurse was while you're here we may as well check your blood pressure.

My neighbour is at a different surgery who refused to see her face to face and fobbed her off with painkillers saying it was probably her c section scar and the midwife should check, but midwifes are also not doing those checks apparently. She's just come back from hospital following a perforated appendix so can't say the system has worked well at all there.

Blood Pressure UK certainly seems to think home blood pressure monitoring is a good thing.

They even have a video showing how to do the reading.

My GP surgery is doing my annual asthma check face to face next week, which I was surprised about.

My GP is still running as normal except where appointments can be done over the phone. I even had a phone call with my midwife half an hour before I had to attend the surgery for a jab...in the room next to where she made the call to me from lol

Are you a member of a gym? The personal trainers at my old gym used to check your BP before assigning you a new plan. Perhaps they’d be happy to check it for you?

I am a midwife and I am seeing my women face to face for all appointments. Business as usual for me and my colleagues. We obvs wear ppe.

My Gp's have been good. Tbf, they always are.

I know other local Gp's that have been utter shit.

@Mincepiesallyearround

I get what you’re saying Abraid2 but I’m in very good health, workout 4-5 times a week or run, I just can’t ever see myself taking my blood pressure regularly. It’s never crossed my mind. But clearly I need to for the kind of pill I’m on. I find it all quite frustrating as I can’t be the only woman in this position and many many people registered at the surgery will not be able to fling £25 away on a machine to keep at home.

To be fair my blood pressure is a little high (not high enough to need medical intervention but higher than it ideally should be) and I am as fit as you sound.

However, it's not for a GP to tell you to go out and spend £££ on a blood pressure monitor when they can do it in minutes at the surgery. You need the tablets and for the tablets you need the test done. They are paid to treat patients. Plus the fact that their machine will be more accurate, although some more expensive home machines are good.

Likewise the ones who are telling people they must download an app and won't use email or in some cases the phone. They need to do their jobs.

Our situation is the same as yours .Doctor told me to get one of these machines . 20 quid online . justifable expense I think .TBH I prefer not having to schlep to the Surgery myself, and feel happy with the current set up .I think they would need to clean the band down and also try to minimise the footfall in the practice .

I couldn’t even reply to the bloody text as it was one of those numbers you can’t reply to

I hate that - both with email and texting!

Most BP monitors are £20 or less and exactly the same as we use in clinic. We buy them over the counter ourselves! They're perfectly reliable. You don't need anything more complicated at all.
Patients probably do make readings up, it's no skin off our nose, and as long as the nurse can input the reading as a 'home reading' they're covered to prescribe and the patient has no comeback if they have a stroke for example.
COCP needs BP reading every twelve months minimum, and a BMI of less than 35.
For POP it's less significant.

These are the ones that Which? tested: www.which.co.uk/reviews/blood-pressure-monitors

The six bottom ones are don't buys, the top row are the ones they recommend.

I can’t believe we are reduced to the NHS telling patients to buy their own medical equipment because of a slightly risky virus. Insane.

Have you tried calling sexual health clinics to see if they’ll do one? Have you tried seeing if anyone you know has one? Do you know any carers for example? Would you consider just saying you’ve done one and it’s normal (not advising this, but frankly this is a massive risk with their current recommendation which they should have thought of)?

Do you have your own thermometer or do you object to not getting that done at the surgery too?

Don't forget GPs are run as as business and each individual one will have its own policies and procedures with some guidance from the CCG, this is the disparity and it's crap!

When I needed a repeat prescription of the pill the GP told me in a telephone appointment that they should do a blood pressure check but since they aren't doing them they would just issue a prescription
anyway!