Medication review, the system that's broken
I wasn't sure where to put this, but it shows again how broken our systems are.
I get a yearly medication review, I used to see my gp annually for this because he wanted to see me. They retired/covid and you could simply do this over the phone with the receptionist.
"is everything okay"
"yes"
Review complete!
That's actually still been the case until this year when my gp wasn't happy about that and called me. He wants to speak to me at least annually. Annually, okay I think I can interact once a year.
He queried the medication as that's been left for years, I have no outside input from any specialist.
In terms of my pip review it was at a similar time that the surgery wasn't doing face to face so I hadn't actually seen anyone.
Comments
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I think its just a general thing.
They put it as a reminder on my prescription, and despite seeing the GP a couple of times in the last few months it still lists 'you are now due for a review date' One reminder is 2021, the other some earlier date!
The system is pretty screwed.. In the words of Pete the Temp - Don't Watch the News, Be the News…
In my instance its now a lot lot harder to get hold of my GP (I've actually found writing a short letter/note & dropping it in the surgery more effective than waiting for 45mins on the phone!)1 -
Think the last one I had was at the chemist. And that's way before the pandemic.
Years ago I was going mad with sciatica. I take five different painkillers as it is but they weren't touching it. Got a phone appointment with my doctor. He increased my gabapentin. It did help ease it. Couple of years ago I had a bad arthritis flare( that's why I take so many meds). It would not budge. Another phone appointment with the GP. He swapped my gabapentin for pregabalin. It settled down.
But I take all these meds and cannot remember the last time I had a face to face review with the doctor. Apart from swapping one for another it seems all they do is. ' tweak ' what I'm taking. In other words, increase them
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oh good ideas note !
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It made me think that if some of us are long term sick and on medication as well, it would be worth reviewing and offering that person support, adjustments, beyond the non qualified receptionist are you fine.
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I was reading 28 million pounds goes unclaimed in benefits they lie about everything and yes shock horror all programmes articles on Get Britain Working day in day out and the public fall for it so easy to control the people against each other I still find that mind blowing albus when am I able to message without checks
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My GP does annual medication reviews, I have mine tomorrow, in person. For my daughter she also has an annual learning disability and Autism review, not something we've heard of before until I moved house at the start of the year.
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wow. I have a review once a year. My prescriptions are repeat. Do 4 weeks before my review is due. My pharmacy also lets me know as they will not give out medication until review is done. Which is a good thing really.
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I have had the surgery stop my medication because I haven't had the review, that's when it was done over the phone. That's not a review, that's just ticking a box.
We actually need to see our own gp to monitor medication. Least mine called me to chat about them.
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Mine are repeat prescription. I get a reminder to order from the online pharmacy. I ring the order line, the request goes to the surgery . Few days later the postman brings them.
I do get fed up with the amount I have to take. Every 6 hours plus one at 4 pm. Some while back I saw a programme about the dangers of addiction to prescribed meds so stopped taking the codeine. Couple of days later I couldn't walk! Restarting them made a big difference! And I vividly remember twice running out of gabapentin. I'll admit that once was my own fault, I didn't order them as I was sure I'd got a new box but hadn't. Second was when they got held up in the post. Both times I I had horrible withdrawal symptoms. I've never been so pleased to see the postman!!
I would describe myself as a ' prescription junkie '. It doesn't bother me now. I work on the theory that if I need them I take them
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It costs money, it's a shame to spend money on people (/sarcasm).
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My surgery, and a lot of others locally, have struggled to get new doctors to join GP practices. When I joined my practice there were around 10 doctors and we got down to just two, we are now back up to four I believe. I did sit on the PPG for a while but it was not a real partnership as the practice manager wanted it to be a rubber stamp for what the practice was doing. The practice hired a pharmacist, initially because patients were been sent home from hospital and were regularly being put on medicines which were incompatible with their GP prescribed medications. There was a suggestion that the pharmacist could do reviews but that has never happened.
I should have had a medication review a couple of months back but I was told that I would need to phone to organise it as my consultation was over the phone. If I had seen the doctor in person then they would have let me make and appointment then and there. Seeing a doctor and them saying they want to see you in x amount of time is the only way to actually book and appointment in advance, otherwise you have to join the 8am phone lottery and you can find yourself waiting for ages to speak to someone and then be advised that there are no appointments. Like most of us, I have a bad sleep pattern and being awake at 8am to call the doctors means staying up all night. When you do that a few days in a row without getting an appointment, you give up hope.
Well actually what really makes you give up hope is when you call your surgery at that time in the morning having been told you need to see a doctor that day by 112 and the receptionist says that there are no vacancies and advise you to go to A&E! I spent most of a day at the hospital, seeing different people, having tests and having an x-ray to have it confirmed that I had a bad chest infection and prescribed antibiotics and rest. I really don't want to know how much the lack of appointments at my surgery cost the NHS but I'm sure it was several times more than a 10 minute appointment with my GP.
I do get very cautious about saying the system is broken, in reality it is under funded and resourced. Every time that the conclusion is made that it is broken, someone comes up with a new management structure or funding arrangement which makes it harder for the NHS and easier for politicians to bend to the will of the big international drug and private medical companies who are chipping away at the NHS. So much so that that chipping is more like an explosion in a in a quarry.
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Funny enough I was just having this conversation with my social worker about learning disabilities reviews and the times that my mum took me they went through my whole medical history and my blood pressure, weight and bloods.
However when my support worker has took me the past 2 years they have just done my blood pressure, weight and have taken bloods.
Has anyone had the same experience? I would love to hear other people's experiences on this.0 -
The world is plunging into neo-medieval times. People will again treat themselves as best they can. Because there are not enough doctors. This is very sad.
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I can't recall the last time this was done. Maybe five years ago.
Bloods are meant to be monitored I think.
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Everything is always lacking in funding though isn't it.
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you don’t have a medication review at a pharmacy. It’s always with a Gp. Where they go through all your medications and check that you are actually aware of what you are taking each medication for.
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When I was with my previous GP practice my medication reviews were always with a pharmacist. Never with a GP.
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My medication reviews are usually with a pharmacist too, I've not had one with a GP for many years.
It's not done by the local pharmacy but as part of the GP surgery I'm registered at, they have a pharmacist employed for this kind of thing. I think who you get for your reviews can vary depending on your surgery and what kind of staff they have available.
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