Asthma review: thinking about your la... - Asthma Community ...
Asthma review: thinking about your last asthma review with your surgery, please tick all answers that apply. Comments welcome
Not reviewed in last 12 months at syrgery. Saw consultant at hospital.
My review via text message then email to confirm no appointment necessary.
My latest review was an online questionnaire.
Merely a tick box exercise. Got shown a video on how to use an inhaler. I’ve been using them since they were introduced, maybe 50 years 😂 ago. Need a review at a hospital, wonder how long the wait is?
had a review with nurse all ok but had very little knowledge about my condition Bronchiectasis
My last review, face to face with practice pharmacist:
- how is your asthma? Last time I saw you we had to send you to A&E. (Me: it could be better but nothing will happen this time).
- what is the hospital doing? (Me: not much)
- that's good, you have a phone appointment with the hospital in January (me: they won't do anything, not that there are options currently to be fair)
- me: coughs a lot
- her: looks alarmed and wraps up
No checking inhaler technique, no action plan - but to be fair the person who did it last time (practice paramedic) did check things and made a point of noting my best peak flow on the system. The hospital really should be in charge of an action plan in my case and I understand the GP wouldn't want to contradict.
I had a telephone appointment review with surgery after last exacerbation, I have my 6 monthly consultant appointment at the hospital on Wednesday, first one since starting biologics!
No knowledge at my drs.struggled to breath for months,to the point i couldn’t work.i rang asthmauk who suggested i mention changing my inhsler to foststair.which i did instead of ventolin and clenil.which helped a lot.saw a private consultant who said i had high levels of aspergillosis. Thank you asthma uk for your much needed help.
I have just had my check up for my Esinophilliac Asthma at the hospital my appointment came via post , I have another check up in 6 months, I have had all of my medication repeated which is…..
Nucala
Montelukast
Relvar inhaler
Spiriva inhaler
Ventolin inhaler
Nebules for my nebuliser, Ventolin & Budisonide
I did have a face to face asthma review, but due to having asthma and bronchiectasis I felt the asthma nurse was actually unsure how to advise me. For example my asthma plan still states about how to respond if my peak flow drops to a certain reading, but my peak flow never drops to this, it’s never an indicator of my asthma getting worse. So this isn’t to me.
F2F ordered by Dr at A&E. Usually done by text. No inhaler technical checked, but records show it was.Seems to have little knowledge of MART or severe asthma.
no help with my bronchitis!
face to face appointment for 2nd year in a row but this one was quite pointless as the nurse just asked questions & ticked off, not even talking around it.
Last year was very thorough with all inhaler cheque, etc
Reviews are a waste of time here:. They should talk about how my asthma is behaving. However, they just do my peak flow and say all is well. They should give appts at 3am if this is how they assess things!
. Reviews are done by healthcare Assistants who are not able to assess my asthma. A quick course is not enough
. I've had asthma all my life, i don't need someone to tell me I'm ok. I know if I'm OK,
. I refuse to have my inhaler technique checked. I've been using one for decades. I'm an intelligent woman.
. My surgery are too busy doing Reviews to help me when I need it!!!
I really don't like asthma Reviews. Sorry
Even when I've been struggling ive never had an asthma plan. When I need one, I tell the GP staff what it is. Am not sure thats the right way to do it.
Only see hospital asthma team generally
I was switched to new medication but wasn't given an asthma plan, they undermedicated me (dropped down 100mg from my previous prescription) and I predictably had an asthma attack a week after swtiching
Tick box review by text message/web. Haven't been seen in person since pre Covid.
Even when my symptoms got worse due to pollution from building site opposite just got a telephone consult.
Haven't had an updated Asthma plan since they increased my preventer.
texted a questionnaire only
I haven’t had a face to face asthma review for about 5 years, I am sent a link to complete online. Asthma action plan (which I feel is incorrect) sent via a text link.
text asking me to fill in an asthma control questionnaire, haven’t heard anything back,
I haven't filled in the questionnaire because I see the options as irrelevant. I see my asthma nurse as my biggest obstacle to good health and have told her that my visits to her constitute an exacerbation of my condition. I'm fed up to death of asthma nurses and reviews and patronising leaflets. I'm a writer, performer and ex-nurse (so a trained communicator) but I feel that when we meet it's as if we speak entirely different languages. I don't feel understood or listened to. I feel asthma care in the NHS is on autopilot and it's more an admin procedure than intervention.
online review
Not reviewed at doctors surgery -looked after by oncologist
I used to have asthma checks with doctor but now with a nurse who knows very little and last time was given another inhaler which made my asthma deteriorate. I don't blame the nurse.
I'm beginning to think the review isn't for the benefit of the patients, but is a tick box exercise for the benefit of the surgery group.
Still didn't help with the awful side effects from inhalers
Should have asked the question of : who did the asthma review ? Options should have been - asthma nurse , GP , GP associate , GP paramedic , HCA, or GP pharmacist. Mine was down by a GP surgery based Pharmacist on the telephone. :/
Sadly my GP practice are awful, I don't go to asthma reviews, no point, I'm seen by a nurse who asks me questions and ticks boxes, I have severe eosinophilic asthma which no one, not even the gp's care to understand.I stick to my 4 monthly consultant reviews at addenbrookes, they are the one's keeping me alive, thank god for them 😊
I was born with Asthma, but I never had reviews of any kind until maybe sometime after 2020 due to the mold and damp making my asthma worse, even then that was once in person the other was an online questionnaire, I have never been shown or taught how to use my inhalers (brown and blue), nor have I been watched for corrections. I learnt how to use my inhalers correctly myself from a video maybe less than 3 years ago. Throughout my 28 years when I have had a serious asthma attack, I've had to handle it myself, control the fear and anxiety of not being able to breathe, force myself to focus on my breathing through the pain, exhaustion, trying to take my inhaler, juggle that and having to talk to whoever is around me when it happens (cause for some reason people think you should be able to talk just fine even when you can't), respond to their questions and letting them know I'm fine and calm them down. I guess this long paragraph is my way of saying I've had no help or support and had to do it myself.
Your being let down Sunny_Cyan.u can ring the aaluk helpline to get advice 0300 222 5800
I'd really appreciate and welcome the support... but being used to the way things are, I wouldn't even know what advice to ask for.. 😔
Are yr drs even aware of yr flare ups? I'd ring yr drs surgery+ ask for an asthma review - most have an " asthma" nurse.do u have a peak flow meter? It's worth keeping a daily diary of how you are,peak flow,symptoms,triggers etc to take with you.The aluk helpline have nurses+ they can give u advice & suggestions for yr appointment x
I've just gotten off the phone with a nurse on the aluk! She was brilliant, so informative as well, my normal is poorly controlled and she also suggested a combination inhaler. Thank you for reaching out and helping me, I've got to book an appointment with my GP tomorrow, but with the new information I've got and knowing I now have support, I'm looking forward to a better quality of life asthma wise. 😁🤗
Brilliant!! Yr welcome, I'm glad u reached out.u shouldn't be struggling like ths.let us know how u get on x
My GP Surgery is brilliant. Saw my lovely asthma nurse this past week and now I am under the asthma team at a hospital as I am on Tezspire biologics 
Given online form to complete
I’m due a review in February along with meds review ,,,
I don't see the practice nurse for my asthma, I see the hospital consultant.
Reviewed by asthma nurse at hospital. Not at GP.
I haven’t had an asthma check with my surgery for many years but my pharmacy ring me twice a year ,it’s a phone conversation to ask what the hospital have said to me .They tell me because I’m under the hospital for severe asthma that I need to be seen at hospital. Hospital ring me for appointments now ,unless I’m hospitalised no one wants to deal with me. Changing times
Asthma nurse suggested in a throwaway comment that I might have COPD. This after me explaining I had suffered two lung infections in last two years, paramedic thought this was down to lockdown and our immune systems not getting a workout. However after being invited to take part in lung function scan (in sainsburys car park no less) lungs were clear. This person shouldn't be allowed anyway near patients. She caused me a great deal of unnecessary worry and does so every time I see her.
As many others have said I don’t get invited to reviews any more at my surgery. They leave all the work to my Tertiary team ( thank goodness!😂)
The last review I had many years ago I didn’t even get to sit down before the nurse said that she wasn’t able to help me or my asthma to which I promptly said ok fine, turned around and walked out!😂
Never to return….
It’s a tick box/money making exercise for most surgeries particularly for those at the more severe end of the spectrum.
👍👍
Just a paper review, no huge changes so no need for a face to face with asthma nurse at gp & as also under the care of a hospital specialist, they tend to follow that annual review which is in person.
Only review I've had was sent a paper form to fill in from the Asthma Nurse. My asthma is fairly stable on current medication which allows me some flexibility to take more or less fostair as I need it and Ventolin (within limits). But I'm happy with that, and I'm sure I could ask for a face to face with Asthma Nurse if I felt I needed it.
I have been changed from Fostair 100/6 to Fostair NEXThaler 200/6. This is a trial to see if I get any side effects.
I find asthma reviews utterly pointless. They don't help me in the slightest, and they just end up feeling like a box ticking exercises for the surgery.
I’ve actually responded to the NHS consultation asking them to stop pointless asthma checks.
Touch wood, I take my preventer inhalers and I don’t get attacks as such. My problem is that I suffer from ME and I also have to attend lots of other appointments for various illnesses. That uses up all my energy. It is soul destroying to have to keep going back for checks for this and that, just to keep getting my usual medication for the next year.
The one time I went ‘off piste’ with my inhalers was when my ME was so bad that I was too ill to go to the GP unless it was vital. This was before GP phone calls became popular. So really the solution is ready access to medical help when the patient needs it, not annually.
If the GP wants to keep an eye on my asthma, then they should ask some general questions when I am there for all my other problems. Like, how’s your asthma? Do you need your blue inhaler a lot ? It should become obvious quite quickly if I can be left to my own devices. If not, then absolutely, the GP would be quite sensible to ask me to come back regularly for checks. But this blanket annual check is just totally disproportionate.
