COPD review telephone appointment

[SimonJJJ]

Hi all, I've just been booked in for a Copd review telephone appointment.

Is this usual, as I in the past have had a face to face appointment and a spirometry test?

[Mellywelly]

Pandemic is over now, how you supposed to do a spirometry test by phone. Put your foot down chook as they are trying to pull a fast one. 😉

[gedney in reply to Mellywelly]

I just had a questionnaire sent to my phone. Then told thank you, till next time! Box ticking by GP practice. Though I know if needed help would get it.

[SimonJJJ in reply to Mellywelly]

I would kick up and demand a face to face but: I had an appointment last week for a COPD review, set for 11am over the phone with a pharmacist (Organised by my GP surgery). I sat by the phone until midday, no call. 2.30pm I missed 3 calls and a voicemail. I was out in the sticks with no signal. Turns out this appointment that I missed had been outsourced! I wasn't happy and said so. This firm are too busy to see me now.

[Mellywelly in reply to SimonJJJ]

Typical 🙄

[battison]

Hi. my husband with COPD no longer seems to get face to face appointments. I think this is very worrying indeed. No one sees the visual degeneration in his physique. he doesn’t like to make a fuss. I agree with Mellywell below put your foot down & insist!! Pandemic may be over but there are very few people in our surgery these days. There’s a Petition going round about it. If necessary e mail them a letter, set out you want real appt and ask them in the letter to ensure it is placed on your medical records. One thing medics are alert to is medical negligence. Gp’s seem under the cosh - our surgery finding it difficult to recruit staff. Patients insisting on record gives gp’s the ammunition they need to themselves insist on the funding & resources they need. Best of luck! X

[Millyboo710]

Is it with a GP or hospital? I am under 3 hospital consultants. One sees me annually with a phone call in between. One phones every 6 months following my Lung Function tests. The other phones every 6 months and hasn’t seen me face to face for 3 years.

[SimonJJJ in reply to Millyboo710]

With my GP surgery.

[LindaC in reply to Millyboo710]

WoW! I have emphysema and not once seen anyone at all. I had to ask for a Lung Function Test, a - not usual - GP forgot a word from my inhaler, so they couldn't complete a further test - and I get to see no one!

[B0xermad]

Hi Simon is it with your gp surgery nurse or respiratory department at your hospital as usually only a cursory one will be done by phone from gp and a yearly here with hospital depending on your diagnosis?

[SimonJJJ in reply to B0xermad]

With my GP surgery.

[B0xermad in reply to SimonJJJ]

That's the normal with my gp surgery now

[Pippydo]

I generally have face to face every six months with telephone consultation in between so that test results and other issues are always discussed, seems to vary a lot depending on where you live!

[whit]

MY Docs haven't done spirometry tests since covid.

[Izb1]

The last time I had a spirometry test at my gp's was 8 years ago and had one last year at the hospital. I can understand my gp's not doing this anymore as they are overwhelmed with the amount of new houses being built near me. I really don't know how they are coping, all these new houses and no new surgeries being built is crazy. If you are under the hospital perhaps ask your consultant for one x

[kev60]

hi, sorry to hear this but it seems the way they do things these days. My last spirometry was 3-4 years ago then they went to phone and it last about 40 minutes, they asked 8 questions so you have a score out of 5 for each so 40 max. This year it lasted 5 minutes and in my notes they put normal. Was not happy looked online found the questionnaire and told them what I scored for the record. They called me back told me the questions are triggering for some patients? Try and get a f2f even without spirometry they can see what you are like. Good luck. Kevin

[SimonJJJ in reply to kev60]

Thanks. I will have a google for the form

[Alberta56]

Yearly reviews at my surgery were really a box ticking affair. I'm much happier now I've made contact with the Respiratory team, (who do Pulmonary Rehab) and get an annual chat with a respiratory nurse. Still no spirometry- perhaps it's not appropriate for bronchiectasis.

[SimonJJJ in reply to Alberta56]

Is your Respiratory team at your Doctors surgery or through a Hospital/Clinic?

[Alberta56 in reply to SimonJJJ]

They are based in Colchester, but are under the aegis of Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford. If needs be they can raise concerns with a consultant, which is reassuring.

[gingermusic]

I have also had one booked for next week with a GP but I see my consultant in early January

[Lol1944]

its to tick boxes and get a fee. I now refuse to attend them because no spirometry test is included. Think but not positive that n.i.c.e. Recommend it is included in the review,

[SimonJJJ in reply to Lol1944]

Digital age! :/

[O2Trees]

Hard for so many of you. Guess Im lucky, though it probably helps that I'm on ambulatory oxygen. I see my oxygen nurse twice a year, 3/4 hour appointment where she goes into everything starting with "how are you?" So I talk about how Im managing, lots about exercising and daily activities. How much oxygen am I using? Any other conditions which may be impacting my health and lung functionality. My weight, diet (pre-diabetic though stable now). Any flare-ups of course and their after effects.

She asked if I would like an appointment to talk over exercise with one of the team's respiratory physios, so yes, that's happening in January.

A telephone review should be ok if conducted properly, ie enabling discussion, not tick box. That questionnaire kev60 mentions - is that the St Georges respiratory questionnaire? Ive had that quite often over the years. It has one stupid question - can you climb one flight of stairs or walk up a hill? Something like that. But they are not equivalent, not for me anyway as I can easily walk up one flight of stairs with no oxygen but could not walk up a hill without aid of ambulatory oxygen if you paid me. But questionnaires can be helpful if used as a means of further exploration.

Telephone reviews should also be able to refer - especially for spirometry, or a consultant referral if relevant. I'm so sorry lots of you have completely inadequate care.

[leo60]

My surgery sends me an (online) questionnaire and if from it they glean I need any support, they ring and make me an appointment. As I have a consultant and community respiratory team also, I find this totally fine. If it's not adequate for you then you must call them and insist on a F2F.

Good luck xx

[PaperQueen]

When I've been offered a telephone appointment, I usually ring them and ask for a face to face, though tbh I haven't been given a spirometry test at the GPs for years. For that I have to go to one of those private satellite units at the hospital which the NHS farm out their services to. Nevertheless, I would insist on face to face. Good luck x

[Loopylorre]

My surgery stopped spirometry tests after Covid started & have never started them again, really bad as you can’t tell from a telephone interview how bad things are, I now insist on a face to face although still don’t have the test done, good luck, if you’re not happy ring your surgery & say you want to change it, hope they look after you 🙂

[NieceByMarriage]

My surgery also stopped spirometry and have not started again. They had stopped full spirometry well before Covid but the surgery pharmacist did a semblance of it for a while. Covid put paid to all of it. I am sick to death of the tick box phone reviews. A year or so ago I insisted on a face to face. At that stage I had not even been advised to use a peak flow meter. The nurse gave me the distinct feeling I was wasting her time and said I had no business to be demanding a face to face because my peak flow on her meter was the best it ever had been. Very low, but still...

Since then I have had some serious health crashes and a very nasty dose of pneumonia that put me in ICU for a couple of days. In hospital for 10 days. I insisted on a private lung referral and had spirometry that way. And have now purchased my own equipment so I can keep an eye on things myself. It cost a couple of hundred quid but will pay for itself given the cost of private lung function tests in hospital. I am only grateful I can afford to buy the kit. And because I had very recently undergone professional tests I am able to see that the graphs and information from the spirometer is comparable to the hospital results.

[Welshcatlady]

My GP practice no longer provide a Spirometry test routinely, but I still get a face to face appointment with a nurse every 12 months. I assume if my COPD deteriorates then they would offer me one.

[Ern007 in reply to Welshcatlady]

Lat year I got a COPD review by phone, this year thus far I had an Asthma review with the asthma Nurse, makes little sense as the inhalers are the same.

[Ern007]

I had to stop spirometry tests 3 years ago because I have injections in my eye and you can't do both.

Even so I get a COPD review by phone, not with a doctor but with a pharmasist - I never knew why it just happened and these reviews are IMO rubbish.

[Jaybird19]

i have just had a virtual hearing appointment .

lasted whole hour

[purdeyspringer]

I got a call from my GP for a phone test too, I said I would prefer a face to face as how can they take my counts over the phone, there wasn't a problem and I was given a face to face. Ask for a face to face you really don't have to accept telephone appointments from your GP. Good luck and keep well. Oh and Merry Christmas 🎅