To think we shouldn’t have to buy our own blood pressure machines

[TangoTarantella]

Had a text from the GP surgery this morning to say that to re-authorise my HRT prescription I need to provide daily blood pressure readings at 9am and 6pm for 4 consecutive days. I rang the surgery and asked how I was supposed to do this and they said I had to buy a blood pressure machine (as if it was the most normal thing in the world). I was gobsmacked. Am I unreasonable to think I shouldn’t have to pay for medical equipment that I don’t want? Has anyone else had this?

I am in Ireland I needed to have monitoring for a short while I just hired one from local pharmacy it wasn't expensive and the data automatically went to my GP, is there something like that near you?

Well given that GPs get about 164 quid per patient per year ... yep you are being unreasonable ! They don't get paid enough to give you a standard machine like thermometer or BP machine

Blood Pressure Monitors,Blood Pressure Machine - CE Certified Approved UK, Standard Blood Pressure Monitor Upper Arm Blood Pressure Machine for Home Use (No Cable & Battery) https://amzn.eu/d/eaSUzJ6

edited because someone linked the same thing in a much better/shorter format!

https://www.bloodpressureuk.org/your-blood-pressure/how-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home/how-to-measure-your-blood-pressure-at-home/

This. My Mum’s was always low until it suddenly wasn’t, so I’m keeping a close eye on mine (which is still irritatingly low).

Thanks, that’s really helpful

I can see why the change is frustrating to you, have you asked why the change in requirements from before?

This is the one I have! Works perfectly fine but the usb charging cable is a little short. I just swapped it for a longer one I already had

Mine was a bit high, in the surgery so I was advised to get one to test at home, was still a bit high but it’s settled nicely. I also have a mini sats monitor and urinalysis sticks and a thermometer. I’m not sure what is wrong with taking some responsibility for your own health and care, getting as much information as you can do you can make choices about your own health, the nhs doesn’t have the resources to chase people about their bp or make them take responsibility, huffing about it isn’t going to change that.

Exactly!

It's fine until it isn't.

Menopause puts us at high risks of heart disease/diabetes/strokes/ osteoporosis.

Monitoring helps to to stay as safe as possible and seek help at the earliest possible chance instead of being under a false sense of security of "I've always been fine" which means by the time the issue has been picked up there's a lot more damage and it's harder to manage.

So your issue is with the medical advice that your BP needs to be confirmed as stable. Your gripe isn’t that you have to buy a machine.

Are you a doctor or a nurse? Are you trained in the use of the form of HRT you take? Why are you better qualified to know whether your BP needs to be read than your GP?

Or are you just bone idle lazy, seeing as you can’t even be bothered to google “£10 blood pressure”?

Thanks for the links, I’ll get £10 one

Wow, you’re in an even worse mood than me today

So the NHS should start handing out free BP machines to the millions of people who have elevated BP? That's an insane waste of money, even in a well-funded NHS.

Sorry OP but considering how cheap they are, I think YABU. If money is really a massive issue then you can get free checks at many pharmacies.

My BP was low until I was 39.

Went into peri and it rocketed to between 140-170 every day. It's wise to keep an eye on it.

Deleted as I cross-posted with everyone else that was able to find a £10 with a couple of minutes' searching.

It seems to be an expectation now that you will have a monitor. I've been asked by our Practice Nurse to do blood pressure checks on myself. Fortunately I'd already got a monitor that I'd bought in Lidl. I think because they're so readily available and cheap these days the GP sees it as one of those things you can take responsibility for yourself.

Unless you can't afford £20 to buy a monitor then YABU.

@DownWithThisKindOfThing
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 NHS nothing to do with the Tories

No - its isn't necessary to take eight readings, if the OP was seen by eg the practice nurse or associate or practice pharmacist then only one reading would be taken at the annual medication review. The point of medication reviews is to review general health on that medication (or it used to be).

Considering the horror which is the general reaction to (reclaimable) appointment fees I'm surprised that this kind of non reclaimable fee for access to a service is taken so complacently.

A BP monitor for a healthy adult is not remotely comparable to having a thermometer for a child. Cheap BP monitors vary greatly in quality as does patients' ability to use them reliably.

I'd be fucked - for some bizarre reason, the cheaper automatic ones don't work on me 90% of the time (and no one ever listens to me telling them this - so I get an increasingly painful arm and then when they DO find one that works - it's gone through the roof from the stress of it!)... when I was pregnant there was literally ONE in the entire health centre (multiple nurses' offices and GP surgeries) that worked for me. The posh hospital ones work - but any cheapo basic ones seem to nope out on me.

Yes, it was the change in expectation that surprised me. I don’t have much dealing with the NHS so didn’t realise things had changed. I didn’t know they were so cheap either.

I was told that I might be able to borrow one from the surgery, but it was easier just to buy one.

@TangoTarantella Glad you've found one that works for you.

As to bad mood - I think we could run the Grumpy Olympics here today - I think I would be in a fair chance for a medal.

Hope you get your HRT sorted out and that your BP stays low (jealous!)

Its not unreasonable and I happily picked one up from Lidl. Unfortunately the at home machines give me a very high reading compared to the manual ones the old fashioned drs use.

Currently struggling to get an appointment to have my reading taken.