5mg folic acid and frustration

[j0hnskot]

Heya, we recently received the wonderful news that we are expecting our first baby!
We went through the process and got assigned a midwife and had the first appointment where she prescribed us 5mg of folic acid.
This is were the "nightmare" started. We were told to go to the GP to get it prescribed. When we asked the GP, they told us that the midwife has to prescribe it .
We are now stuck in a loop when on side is pointing us to the other and we have no idea where to go from here.

Do you have any advice to help us figure this out? For the time being, I found an online shop that sells 5mg of folic acid but to be honest, I'm not confident it's not going to be some sort of dodgy vitamins. The store seems to have multiple positive reviews.
I'm not sure I'm allowed to share links here so please let me know if I can.

Such a nuisance. I have found such so stressful that i ended up paying £49 for an online consultation and a private prescription of a few pounds for several months worth.

Erm go to a chemist and buy it? Do you have a pre-existing condition that means you need to take 5mg?

I had this bollocks and think I just ended up taking 20 normal ones or something equally stupid like that every day until it was resolved (IIRC it was the GP)

The gp needs to do it. It is a nightmare I have no idea why they do this.

My GP prescribed it no bother, but maybe because I was on 5mg folic for my last pregnancy? Whereas this is your first. I don't remember having much both 1st time round though either. I hope you get sorted soon x

I ended up taking like 12 of the regular ones or whatever it was. So cheap in boots so wasn't expensive or anything. Made me feel so ill, but did the job until I finally got it prescribed. For something so serious why do they make it so difficult? 🤦🏼‍♀️

My GP prescribed it fine but I was on it before conception so didn't have a midwife. Had no idea people had such difficulty accessing it!

It's your GP that needs to prescribe it though.

I don't think you can buy 5mg OTC can you?

Midwives are often supplementary prescribers meaning there needs to be an agreed plan between them and your GP - I would call your surgery to discuss where to go from here and say your midwife asked you to contact them directly to get this approved.
Congratulations on baby, so exciting

Hey, any chance you could give me the website for this? Thank you!

I'd speak to your midwife again to let them know the issues you're having.

I'm in Scotland so might be slightly different, my midwife told me I also need high strength folic acid. She sent the request to the GP, then the GP filled out the prescription and sent it to my pharmacy. 48 hours after I had seen the midwife, the prescription was waiting for me at the pharmacy.

I also had issues with GPs trying to palm me off to the midwife for sick notes and anti sickness meds. My midwife confirmed (as i expected) that she cannot write prescriptions. That's a doctors job. But she can liaise with the GP to ensure they get it done.

Sorry you're having such issues but contact your midwife again to see what she says.

I don't get why the GP is being awkward about this - it's not a restricted medication, they are allowed to prescribe it. My GP prescribed it to me to take from when we were TTC.

I had to take 5mg this time around and needed the GP to prescribe. They wanted me to have a phone consultation before they would write the prescription so I was nearly 12weeks before it all got sorted anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️ but they didn't need anything from the midwife as far as I was aware.

You can't get 5mg OTC - i must have been to about 6 different pharmacies before a helpful pharmacist told me that 🙈

Just start taking an otc one so you at least have something in your system

Midwife here. We're having the same issues locally and it's because GPs are no longer doing anything that they are not contracted to (ie prescribing for midwives). Bounce it back to your midwife but ask her to escalate it to her managers. We now have a process in place for when this issue arises so hopefully less women will be affected 🙂

This is ridiculous. Just today my GP gave me a prescription for 5mg folic acid, no problem at all.

But why is it counted as prescribing for midwives. Surely if a patient is in front of a GP needing it, then they should prescribe it?

It's because routine ante natal care is no longer in the GP contract, hasn't been for years. They took the money away for it so hence not the GPS job.
For years we have done it as easier sometimes to just get on and do it but with the collective action over GP funding, most surgeries are now not doing anything they aren't funded for.

Your midwife team should be doing it.

Gp has to prescribe it; I had similar and the midwife had to write to the GP and state it was recommended under guidelines but she was unable to prescribe it herself so could they please

Nosey bitch here, why would someone be prescribed 5mg of folic acid?

Our midwife said something similar. In our case she said it needs to be prescribed by the hospital itself now and she will be phoning/emailing them. Does this seem correct in your experience?

If you're at higher risk of neural tube defects (the reasons listed here): https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/folic-acid/pregnancy-breastfeeding-and-fertility-while-taking-folic-acid/

Personally it was because of my weight.

The GP does not have to prescribe it.
They are not funded to prescribe it.
Why it should come out of the GPs prescribing budget when it falls under ante natal care and is funded via a different means.
GPs are getting much stricter on this as we don't even have enough money to pay for all the doctors we want so certainly not using out budgets to pay for other people's work.

Sorry but that is the way it is now.

I'm a patient as well a GP so I get it but the default is always "GP will do it" and that can't continue

And if midwives don't have prescribing rights, who do you propose does it then?
I also work in primary care and I generally do feel sorry for GPs in that a lot of other people dump their crap on you. But when non prescribers are seeing patients - what do you actually recommend?
I think your time and annoyance would be better focused on professionals that could follow up, organize tests, prescribe etc and dump it at your door. Rather than the ones who can't do what you're asking as surely you are leaving a level of harm.
MDT working hey

Interesting about what's contracted - and understandable on the part of the GPs.

So SURELY the midwives would know the answer isn't to point women at the GP then.

FFS. The NHS. The amount of man hours wasted.