Where the money goes – and it’s not in medical treatment
‘My’ GP retired and I had to find another.
- Hours – no days – of phoning and Internet browsing, and eventually find another Surgery. Wait 3 weeks for appointment with Practice Nurse before I can register ; at appointment
- I hand over list of medicines
- Name of which Consultants prescribed them
- Date prescribed.
No interest from Nurse – just takes list and asks which Chemist I collect them from.
When I need more, go to Chemist, who greets me “I am not happy”. Neither am I when he explains that new GP refuses to prescribe all my drugs – and without asking me has chopped some off list, not even askied WHY these had been prescribed.
Time wasting gets under way
So make an Emergency appointment with GP. Success ! I can have an appointment that day !
Gloom – when I meet her she wastes 30 mins of my time ; when WE want appointments we have to keep to 10 minutes. When GPs want to save money on prescribing, they can take as long as they like. I give what I hope are reasoned explanation of why eminent Consultants have prescribed drugs, explain that I can’t take drugs she suggests as they inter-react with other drugs I am on. After long trial and error the drugs I am taking all get on with each other.
Explain I had paid out £250 privately to see an accredited Medical Oncologist with a special interest in Cancer (a rare beast). When I came out of hospital after 7-hour Heart Op (caused by side effects of cancer drugs) I was on 25 tablets per day, but he talked me through the lot, reduced them to 17 and I was happy with that.
But every time one of my drugs is changed, I end up with problems – last time I had to call 999 for Ambulance to take me to hospita, as drugs didn’t get on, and ended up with overnight stay. Uggh !
So back on NHS production line to get things sorted.
• Another half hour talk with GP – this time on phone. She offers me appointment with Senior GP at Surgery. Thirty minutes later it is obvious he has no knowledge of long term side effects of cancer drugs, inter-action of polio drugs, etc. So why waste my time – and NHS’s ?
• Phone wonderful hospital Pharmacist who really knows her stuff. Another half hour on phone. She repeats I am on correct drugs. Suggests I could now delete one – so result. I am down to 16 !
• Luckily I am due a check-up with one of my Consultants. Explain GP wants to change drug she has prescribes. A pause. “Would you like me to write to your GP ?” Somehow don’t think GP is going to like receiving this, but a what waste of eminent Consultant’s time.
The irony is, GP wants to change me back to Aspirin ; I explain that for years whilst I was on Aspirin I had unexplained internal bleeding ; three major investigations, umpteen Monofer Infusions, but since I stopped taking Aspiring I am no longer Anaemic.
But GP couldn’t understand this.
By this time my telephone was red-hot – 2 hours on phone, and my head is spinning.
Somehow I see an expensive time ahead with this practice ; expensive on my time – as I will have to check up with Consultantsf and Pharmacits EVERY time they change prescription
And this could end up costing NHS more time and money (what does it cost for a Consultant’s appointment + time to write letter + time for GP to read and note this ?) ; but DON’T want to end up in A & E again because new drugs have reacted badly.