Tried to get a rescue pack of steroids - rang 111 and had it sent through to my pharmacy.Told I couldn't have them without an appointment which is next week - this is despite me having a steroid emergency card and my GP having a copy of my asthma action plan.
I have eosiniphilic asthma and I am currently under a specialist.
This is not the first time this has happened - I have had to go to a walk in centre to get a prescription. Really not good enough. Having steroids at home has kept me out of hospital.
My practice has a poor reputation - I have let it go in the past but now I think it's time to complain.
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Madbiker1
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My gp will not give rescue packs or nebulisers, he says that I should ring him when they are needed, which is an absolute joke. So I end up needing a paramedic and a and e, three times now in four months.
The consultant I am under though agrees with the gp, he says rescue packs and home nebulisers are a bad idea as they mask the underlying condition.
I think this view is becoming the prevalent view in the NHS.
I have twice phoned 111 this year. On the first occasion they sent a prescription for steroids to my local pharmacy. On the second occasion I saw an out of hours GP who prescribed anti biotics.
It seems odd to me that 111 should not prescribe a severe asthmatic with steroids. I am guessing that there are regional protocols at work here ?
If the px was sent electronically (which it will have been), tell the pharmacy where it went to to put it back onto the spine. Then you can go to any other pharmacy to getvtge px fulfilled as they can pull it down from the spine. Ideally, the pharmacy where it is at the minute should give you a 'token' to take with you so the other pharmacy can simply scan the barcode to find the px
I have not ever had to make a complaint about my Gp but if I had I would phone the practice manager and ask for their complaints procedure. If your asthma plan says you should have a emergency pack and he wrote your plan then he has to explain why this change without speaking to you.
Over a year ago I got a call from our surgery saying i should not start my emergency pack without speaking to a Gp. When I spoke the the asthma nurse at the surgery she was furious and said i must have them. Recently I got a wee card that allows me to get 5 packs of steriods and antibiotics without seeing the nurse or Gp. . I think it depends on Gp /surgeries/where you are located in the country. ( I am in scotland)
definitely contact the practice manager but also your consultant who may well write to your GP and tell them that you need a stand by pack. Tell practice manager that you are going to contact the consultant. If GP goes against the consultant’s advice and you become poorly you should contact the BMA and NHA England.
The way I look at it, the GP either allows you to have a rescue pack at home OR provides same day appointments when you telephone for a Prednisolone prescription. Having someone wait a week for an appointment in order to obtain necessary treatment for severe asthma is just not good practice.
Allowing a patient to rely on the 111 service, or even A&E, because they are not providing treatment in a timely manner are grounds for a complaint. I would definitely bring up your concerns with your GP at your appointment and explain that unless access to treatment improves you will have no alternative but to make a formal complaint.
I always get a same day GP appointment, even if it's just a phone appointment, if I have an asthma flare up and I already have a rescue pack at home. Over the Christmas period I had two same day, face to face appointments. So definitely push for this. Good luck!
I had the same issue over Christmas and had to go to AE to get the rescue pack. The consultant wrote an "angry" letter to the GP, and I just requested the next one because of covid. I guess I will see if it worked.
So when I need something quickly I go to the AE. I found one that's relatively quiet (only 2 hrs of waiting, not 5) which I can drive to.
111 did not do anything, the pharmacy would not issue the pack and pretended that they did not understand that the referral would come from 111, insisted on a letter from a GP
Complaining may help the next asthma patient. My GP ignored my requests for a referral to an asthma consultant for 5 years, and kept writing my symptoms of asthma as "allergic rhinitis" -- as I learned 5 years later after seeing all the records. She ignored my high eos data in blood work for the same 5 years. I did complain about her to the practice. The GP "responded" twisting the truth her own way (denying what's on the record), but I had to do it for the record. Maybe 5 complaints from 5 different people will make her go away.
The lesson I learned is to check the records after they become available on the NHS app (takes a few days), and to check what it is that the GP wrote down. You may be in for a surprise. "Xolair" may have become "shots", and "asthma" may have become "allergic rhinitis".
Have to agree about checking what is entered onto your health record by GPS… they are very good at twisting the facts in their favour!
Makes quite interesting reading sometimes…
I sat waited 1hr 20 mins once for an overdue appt.. when I finally gave up and explained that I was now late for work and really had to go - it was marked by the GP as ‘ did not attend’! Needless to say I complained!!
Apologies… rant over!😂 but the point is Madbiker - def complain if you need too or nothing will ever change. I do however understand your reluctance. - it wears you down sometimes.
You exercise self-restraint, as usual, Pips :). I've seen numerous entries of "cannot be reached on the phone" whereas they would let the phone ring twice and never got me a chance to pick up. Too bad I only started checking these entries recently. Also, I saw some amusing personal "insight" entries of the sort "Self-defensive patient, claims he knows how to use his rescue inhaler" (when they suggested that was the reason why my asthma was poorly controlled, as opposed to them ignoring data for years and refusing to see paperwork from previous GPs shown to them ).
What about a letter from your consultant to say that you need your emergency steroids? Or change practice if they are not meeting expectations, but if you do ask for recommendations too..
I wouldn't consider changing - all GP's are under pressure. The issue is they are not looking at my notes - but I see a different person every time....
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upping steroid inhaler 
Asthma not well controlled 
How would a rational person deal with this? What would be their thought process?
struggling with 5 year olds asthma 
