GP rant

[Glitterblue]

One GP in our surgery is terrible for cutting off medication with no warning if you need a review - but the reviews are not annual, they can be 5/6 months or 13+! In the past I’ve put in a repeat prescription request and then have gone to check it’s gone through and the website says all my meds have been cancelled by this one particular GP but no reason given, then when I phone it turns out o need a review. Telling me would be really helpful!

The last few times I’ve had a call from a pharmacist at the surgery, he’s done the review over the phone and all has been fine, he’s just renewed all the repeats. Yesterday I put in a request, it said it was sent to the pharmacy. This morning I missed a call from the pharmacist at my surgery, he left a voicemail saying he was calling to talk to me about that medication and he’d try again later. A couple of hours ago I had a text from the pharmacy saying it was ready.

I went to pick it up and they said it had been cancelled by the surgery 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve been online and checked all my records and notes and it still says it was issued yesterday and sent to the pharmacy, and also that the pharmacist called me and discussed it etc - but he hasn’t actually spoken to me yet. There’s nothing on there saying they cancelled it. They usually update it with every action they do. It’s all so strange - it was only about it half an hour after I got the text saying it was ready that I tried to pick it up.

I fully appreciate that they have to do reviews and be responsible and I absolutely don’t mind doing that, but it’s really unhelpful just to cancel the medication with no warning or explanation!

Sorry for the rant.

I work in a surgery. We would never stop someone’s medication. Depending what medication it is most are a yearly review, others might be 6 monthly.

our surgery pharmacists keep calling weekly if they can’t get through for a review and then they send text messages to say they will be having the amount reduced until review is done. That usually gets them in. But absolutely not stopping someone’s medication. It could be dangerous doing that. I would maybe not complain but write a email to ask why this keeps happening so you’re not without medication and check the prescription slip you get with your medications it should have the next review dates on there next to each medication/s you have. So you can say it’s not due a review until such a date.

Also when a prescription has been sent to the pharmacy and then the surgery want to cancel they need to call the pharmacy to send it back to the spine so it can be cancelled.

I feel your pain OP. When I tried to renew my daily medication, that I rely on to function as a normal human being, on their online prescriptions it said I needed to see my clinician for a review first. Trouble is our surgery has switched to all appointments being booked online only, with slots opening at exactly 8am and all run out at exactly 8.01am every day.
Ive been trying for two weeks to get an appointment, and am running low on medication.

I spoke to their reception, explained the situation, and asked to make a non emergency appointment at a later date, was told absolutely not. All appointments online only, just keep trying. So frustrating because its a continual prescription, so cant even go anywhere else like urgent care instead

Put in a complaint to the practice manager. If they want to review they should be proactively scheduling that in, not hoping you manage to get an appointment in the morning scrabble. It’s completely unacceptable to leave patients without medication because they are unable to access an appointment.

Put a complaint in. I switched GPs and didn’t have access to my repeat prescription. I had called when registering to ask if I needed a review. Told no all will move across. Got my first prescription ok. Next one was refused. I called and asked if I could have a review. Told not needed. The was an ongoing nearly daily conversation for a month. Was told I needed a blood test. Asked to book one, told needed a review to get one booked. Needed a dr to request. Had 4 dr appointments in that month all asking to request a review. None did.

after following their advice I lost it. Complained to practice manager in person. Finally got sorted. But they wrote in my notes I was non compliant which was not true. It took me ages to get my condition controlled by medication which got ruined by their incompetence.

i ended up moving and I am now with an amazing GP who proactively called me for a medication review.

This happens often to me. Put in a repeat prescription request, go to pharmacy to collect it, discover GP hasn't issued it for some ridiculous reason! Once they stopped my metformin, because I "had good blood glucose control according to latest hba1c", totally ignoring the fact that the metformin had allowed me to reduce my long acting insulin from 104 units daily, to only 48 units daily! Luckily I have a good relationship with my endocrinologist and can email her directly so she contacted them to explain why it was better to be on metformin and keep my insulin usage as low as possible. They also once tried to reduce my levothyroxine, because my TSH was at 2.01, and the NHS (too high) target is 4, completely ignoring the fact that I am on a suppression dose (aim of TSH between 0.3 and 2.49) to prevent regrowth of thyroid cancer! Once again sorted by my endocrinologist but I hate to think what would have happened to someone who didn't understand what their levels should be and why, and who didn't have a decent consultant in their corner, some people just blindly accept what the GP says and suffer as a result.

I would be writing a formal complaint regarding this. It is ridiculous to have online booking only. Some people need to be seen urgently, others not. Also so many older people can not book things on line. What are they supposed to do?

I need a review, I’ve just been sent one by my doctor, a letter saying I need a review and they’ve booked me an appointment for 2nd July. (This was immediately after I’ve collected my prescription, so they know I’ve got plenty).

Its ridiculous! If they need a review they should prescribe the medication and then book you an appointment for the review!
I recently collected my prescription, then received a text telling me I have an appointment on 2nd July at 9am.. then a letter followed with a form to record blood pressure for a week. That’s it…

going over to online booking only is ridiculous, so many people simply can’t access a computer, if I had to do that I’d have to change surgeries!

My suggestion is to now book an urgent appointment and say it wasn’t urgent when you’ve been trying for the past 2 weeks, but now you’re out of medication so now it’s urgent!!!

@Glitterblue I had to put in a formal complaint once to my surgery, in their wisdom they had decided that because my DD (type1 diabetic) had changed to something else for injections, they’d remove needles from her script - I tried 3 times to order needles, each time I assumed they’d forgotten to put them in.. called to be told doctor had taken them off. I filed a formal complaint - stating that I get a copy of all the letters they get and when she changed over the letter stated clearly NOT to remove anything from her prescription . I got a call from doctor who was very apologetic and said items would not be removed in future without consulting me.. luckily for us I have a friend with type 1 children, so I k ow I don’t need to panic when these things happen, but there are plenty of people out there that don’t have that back up!

Rather than ranting on mumsnet you need to put in a formal complaint to the Practice Manager and ask that they please have a transparent and predictable process for medication reviews so that you know where you stand regarding whether you need to ask for a review appointment or can simply ask for a repeat prescription, without having these situations sprung upon you without warning.