GP REFUSING PRESCRIPTION

[dollcat]

The clampdown came on the day I was due to have my jab which was then cancelled. My GP'surgery refuse to give a prescription for my B12 ampoules. The surgery state that it has to be administered by a clinician.I have a friend who is a fully trained NHS nurse and working as such who is willing to give me my jab but they will not issue my prescription. I have to wait for a letter from my surgery telling me what I have to do or where I have to go.

[fbirder]

What the PAS are doing about this pernicious-anaemia-society....

Which part of the UK are you in?

[dollcat in reply to fbirder]

Hello. I am in Blackpool. I have read the PAS info. I have now ordered some ampoules from versand apo. Thank you for your reply 💐

[Sleepybunny]

There are more suggestions on what to do if B12 jabs cancelled in next link to blog post on B12 Deficiency Info website.

b12deficiency.info/blog/

You could leave a comment under the blog post.

Have you considered expressing your concerns in a letter to GP using info from the PAS and B12 Deficiency Info posts?

[dollcat in reply to Sleepybunny]

Hello. I have ordered some ampoules from versand apo. A letter is being sent out from tomorrow from my GP's surgery. I have sent info from PAS and donated one of Martyn's books to the surgery in the past when my injections were going to be stopped because my B12 levels were too high according to the yearly blood test. I know more about PA than the GPs do which I think applies to most sufferers. I have been living with it for half my life since I was 31. I have fought tooth and nail and now I am having monthly injections. The refusal to issue a prescription goes for all PA sufferers at my GPs surgery which is closed now. Thank you so much for your reply.. 💐

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

I am concerned about the interpretation of B12 injections as a "non-urgent" treatment, whether for PA or (increasingly often) for a B12 deficiency where cause remains undiagnosed.

It is as essential as getting food - in fact it is the same as getting food, really !

If B12 cannot be sourced from food or from tablets or sprays in sufficient quantity, and a couple of years of liver stores have already been used up, where is the B12 to come from, if not via injection ?

This means that either the NHS should continue to give the injections as usual - or they should allow people to be given their equipment and be taught to self inject wherever possible. It seems far more sensible to keep patients away from the surgery if they can.

I no longer get B12 injections from NHS - I have my own supply, self-injecting when necessary, so I'm okay. My local surgery remains open. Since I don't know what they have decided regarding B12 injections, I will write to them today - both to thank them, wish them well, and to just ask the question. I won't expect a reply; clearly they are overworked as it is.

There seems little reason for your surgery not to help you to help yourself, especially with a professional willing and able to administer your injections. One less to worry about !

[Bellabab]

My GP was very happy to allow me to inject myself - it does not have to given by a doctor, nurse or other NHS staff. I did the first with a nurse so that she could see I knew how to do it. I get 5 ampoules on repeat prescription every 10 months. I buy in more from Germany.

[Sleepybunny]

Might be worth putting any concerns over your lack of treatment into a letter to GP, possibly copied to practice manager so it's on the record.

In UK, letters to GP are supposed to be filed with medical records.

PAS link in fbirder's post has useful info and also in link on my other post which you may be able to refer to in any letter.

There are lots of similar recent threads to yours on the forum which may be worth reading for ideas on what to do.

Letters to GPs about B12 deficiency

b12deficiency.info/b12-writ...

You could refer to the potential neurological consequences if you go untreated.

Neurological Consequences of B12 Deficiency

PAS news item

pernicious-anaemia-society....

PAS article about SACD, sub acute combined degeneration of the spinal cord, avialble to PAS members only.

pernicious-anaemia-society.... See Page 2 of articles.

B12 article from Mayo Clinic

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

These are exceptional times so sadly GP may still not see giving B12 injections as a priority.

Hope you find an answer soon.