I am 70 years old and have had asthma for most of my life. I moved from Lancaster in 2010, where I had a fantastic Dr and fully qualified asthma nurse. I now live in the far west of Cornwall and for several reasons need to see a GP. And that is where the problem lies. In February I had a bad fall and broke my wrist (3rd time). My knee gave way because of osteoarthritis. I went to Treliske Hospital to have treatment, the specialist there sent 2 letters to my GP suggesting I might need a scan for osteoporosis. I have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I have heard nothing.
The asthma section of the query is that I don't have a qualified asthma nurse, but a nurse with " an interest in " the disease. Since lockdown I have had 2 bad chest infections requiring antibiotics. Had a tremendously debilitating cough resulting in my retching. I want to see a GP to ascertain whether or not I need to change my medication, Montelucast has been great in that it stopped my annual bouts of bronchitis, but I wonder if it has ceased to work, but I also want to see a GP or preferably a specialist to discuss possible treatment/surgery for knackered knees.. I feel about at the end of my tether, as every time I ring for an appointment there are none available even in advance.
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Anniecath
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This has happened to me. I had a consultant, great GPs and asthma nurse in Wimbledon. I moved to a town in Gloucestershire and its been a very poor experience indeed. I'd change practice but house is on the market. My neighbour & two close friends are at another practice and get excellent care.
I say move your practice, ask around on which is a good practice. Also you can check out their websites, doctors usually have their specialisms listed . Good luck
Hi Anniecath I live in lancaster had a great Dr and respiratory nurse .y Dr hasn't been around for about a year and Respiratory nurse also gone drs are not easy to see anymore as for respiratory nurse I won't say but I hope you get the help you need I've been trying to get rescue pk but not allowed I'm stage 4 hope you manage to see a Dr and get sorted out .
have you tried using the portal on your GP website - I’ve had quick responses using it and a phone call to discuss - 1 problem per query. You decide on your priorities… try the scan request first to gauge efficiency
Having asthma care is a bit of a lottery in some areas and not all Gp’s have a asthma nurse but you can still make an appointment with her or ask your Gp practice when/what time appointments become live and keep phoning until you get one, this is a national problem and myself likewise will be looking at the clock at 8am to get an appointment.
As for a scan (dexa) for osteoporosis you could make a complaint to the Practice Manager as care hasn’t been carried and add that you’ve been trying to obtain a drs appointment as well.
As for chest infections having 2 isn’t awful especially in the southwest as the weather is very damp and wet so I wouldn’t be to alarmed by that but yes many new inhalers on the market so again if you can see your dr please ask if you could try a new one.
I’m afraid that when an outside agency writes to my gp I have had to follow it up to ensure that gp reads letter and follows up with request! Be it for tests or medication prescribed.
Do you have a smart phone? I phone and as soon as the call has bleeped engaged and drops back to showing the number I called I press to phone again. The engaged tone continues a wee while then it automatically dials again. I keep doing that until I get an answer. Tell the receptionist your asthma is out of contrl and yoj need to see someone. If Its the 'interested nurse'You see then tell her your asthma has changed and you are worried about.
If you need to, get a teenager to demonstrate how to do it. Tell them 'slowly please' sometimes landline handsets have a repeat button. I can sometimes get through in 5 minutes.
Phone the Orthopaedic Surgeon's Secretary to query. She will refer you to Orthopaedics appointments or
check if you have been referred to appointments
Twice my husbands referral has been lost.
I follow the above and unravel it. He has a terminal illness and our GP opens our front door and comes in unheralded. He hasn't realised the time when Drs do that passed long ago. He diagnosed the condition when others had missed. He is a grumpy super angel. 😇 PS Im an asthma sufferer too.
I agree with the 111 service recommendation. If you telephone them, explain that you're seeking their advice about a debilitating cough as you can't secure a GP appointment and you're worried as you're an asthmatic. In my experience, they will override your digital records and make a note saying you have to see a GP within xx hours (usually the next day). The 111 service will then ask you to contact your GP surgery and reception can then see that you're a 111 referral and make an appointment. While you're there, raise the missed daxa referral etc. You may have to give the GP an idea of when the notification happened so they can call it up and read it. My surgery rarely read letters from specialists in full. So I will follow through after a couple of weeks.
As well as speaking to 111, I suggest you have a chat with the asthma nurse on the website. The asthma & lung merger makes for a more colourful but more complicated site, and I think the number is now 0300 222 5800 but I'm sure if I'm wrong, somebody on this site will help!
The problem with living in the south west is the growing population with what was already a shortage of hospitals GPs and specialist care. Treliske in Truro is the main hospital for the whole of cornwall, next you have Derriford hospital in Plymouth (which is quite frequently in the news due to being overwhelmed).If you were under a hospital asthma team in Lancaster then you could as them to refer you to a team in southwest.
With your current GP, not all of them have a specialist asthma nurse. I would be insisting on a callback as a minimum, saying you need to speak with a GP at the practice who knows about asthma as yours is becoming poorly controlled. They can then decide on speaking to you on phone if want to see you in person.
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