problems with docs prescribing stuff again

[SilentAssassin1642]

*sigh* it happens every single month in some shape or form

After the last huge mess up I ended up going into conversations with my practice manager, this was about 4 months ago now, who promised I would never have problems with the prescriptions again.

They lied.

I took my repeat in last wednesday. I asked for my usual monthly stock of test strips, insulin and gabapentin. I went in yesterday to boots to pick it up...it wasn't there. It hadn't even come back from the doctors though the pharmacist remembered me bringing it in and sending it off. He says to leave it with himm and he'll chase it up.

I go back in after work todday, now severely short of test strips, and the pharmacist apologies profusely and tells me the reason why it hadn't come back was because the doctor had refused to sign it. I hit the roof! I was utterly livid! How dare they do this!? The reason cited was because my prescription was costing them too much money.

Yes because if I end up losing my legs I'm sure my care on the NHS will be SO much cheaper 🙄

The pharmacist told me that the doctor said the script will be ready in 2 working days, so that means I won't get the stuff until the middle of next week. I'm utterly fuming! Thankfully boots did me up a pot of my test strips to tide me over as I was down to about 3 test strips because of this mess up and I wasn't about to buy a pot of them!

Seriously I'm fuming! I'm sitting down tonight and writing a VERY snotty letter of complaint to the practice manager of my doctors surgery becuase this is not on. Something like this happens every single month - before we went to Portugal they refused to prescribe me glucogon!

grah, so angry!

 

[Monica]

This is ridiculous!!!
We have got a life, we don't need to waste time having to chase our prescriptions.

Maybe it's time for a doctor change?

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

This is ridiculous!!!
We have got a life, we don't need to waste time having to chase our prescriptions.

Maybe it's time for a doctor change?

I wish i could but this town is really stupid with doctors - its all done on catchment area and this doctors is the only one near us and the only one that would take us

 

[Monica]

oh goodness me! That's just stupid. We live nowhere near our doctors. It's a 30 minute walk. The nearest one is 10 minutes.

In that case, complain again and again, until they get it

 

[glitteryredshoes]

I know how you feel!!! GP's obviously dont understand diabetes management as mine is exactly the same. Its like begging for blood most of the time. I have even been called up by the pharmacist to as why I use so many ( i test 4-5 times a day) These people make me so angry

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

oh goodness me! That's just stupid. We live nowhere near our doctors. It's a 30 minute walk. The nearest one is 10 minutes.

In that case, complain again and again, until they get it

oh the letter will be exceptionally snotty

 

[Monica]

oh the letter will be exceptionally snotty

Good
But don't ask me to help, I'm rubbish at letter writing😱

 

[am64]

sorry to hear about this ..what a hassle you don't really need ..

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Very very silly. Do they have many (read any) other T1s on their books? Maybe the doc just doesn't get it? Not trying to make excuses for them, I mean 'it's too expensive' is just maddening.

'Oh I'm sorry my lifelong condition is so inconvenient for you Dr. I'll try not to have it any more...'

 

[Julia]

How infuriating! Good luck with the letter.

When I moved to my current GP and met him to set up my repeat prescriptions, I said to him I test a lot. I need lots of strips, I won?t have any problems now will I?! And he said well er, some people test too much. Hmph I thought, but luckily I have not had any problems getting strips.

Anyway I have since got to know my GP quite well in a non-professional sense, as he runs in the same running club as me. He has nothing to do with my diabetes care apart from signing the scripts. He was very intrigued by my pump, but in informally chatting to him I realise how little GPs actually know about the importance of carb counting, ratios and basal testing etc. We all know it makes absolutely no sense to limit test strips in long run, but GPs are obviously under pressure to watch the costs and I don?t think it?s harsh to say the majority have no idea what is involved on a day to day basis of MDI or pumping. I feel I?m allowed to say that as a close friend is a newly qualified GP and my sister is doing her GP training, and I know both have learnt a lot about carb ratios etc from me (and not their training!). As everydaysupsanddowns puts it many docs just don?t get it!

 

[trophywench]

Hear flipping Hear.

As your GP is so utterly cr*p (and yes I did choose my words very carefully and it's not exactly what I was saying in my head, At All) - I hope you actually get diabetes care from a hospital clinic and only rely on the GP for scrips?

That being the case, you need to get in touch (with the hospital) and request them to write to your GP and tell him Mr Bloggs needs this that and the other. All the time. Period.

It's rare a GP will attempt to countermand a hospital.

 

[margie]

Sam - when you spoke to the practice manager some time back did you get anything in writing that you could no copy and attach to your letter ? It might help you get a swift resolution.

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

Hello all, still fuming, and stewing over the letter I need to write. I've been so busy these last few days I've barely had much time to do anything so I' hoping to get it started tomorrow before work (it's one of my 6 day weeks)

margie - I have a letter somewhere but it was basically her just saying she'd tried phoning me and stuff, nothing in there about the issues.

I don't really *want* her to phone me this time, because I know she'll start spinning some rubbish line on me! I'll be having a word with bournemouth next time i'm up there about it because its not good enough. One of my colleagues today suggested I actually go the media also (a bit of a step too far at the moment i think)

It's beyond a joke and I'm absolutely fuming!

 

[am64]

last thing you need to be doing on the weekend silent assassin ...hope you get it sorted ....maybe we could set up a few standard letter templates on the forum as many folk have similar probs re meds etc...that could be adapted to suit ? ...
something that quotes the nice guidelines ?? all the relevant info ....ummm maybe complicated ie legals stuff...maybe one for DUK ??

 

[trophywench]

Phone Bournemouth. Ask them to write to your GP.

Works for me every time mate.

 

[AlisonM]

AM I think that's a good idea, especially given the frequency of threads like this one. I'll ask Northe if we can add a bit to the information section.

Sam, don't write the letter till you're calm again. These things are always more effective when written objectively. I do think that you should send a copy to your Diabetes clinic and make sure the surgery knows it's been copied to them.

 

[Twitchy]

Hi Sam,

I had this problem a while ago (practice 'DSN' had a go & virtually accused me of running around testing other people lol! 🙄)... I wrote to my MP citing this experience (& similar experiences of others on this forum) and asked her to ask the question of the Health Secretary 'are diabetic consumables such as test strips now being rationed as part of in-year savings the nhs has been asked to make, and will they be rationed in the future?' ... perhaps unsurprisingly a firm negative came back from the health secretary, and the head of my nhs trust even wrote to 'reassure me' that there are no plans to ration test strips, at least for type 1s... funnily enough, since then I've not had a problem with prescriptions! 🙄 I think to avoid further aggro it might be worth getting your MP on side - it's your life & health after all...as the ads say, "you're worth it"!

All the best,

Twitchy x

 

[Flutterby]

The thing that gets me most angry about this is that your doctor allowed it to get to the stage where you went to collect stuff from chemist to find it wasn't there. How downright irresponsible is that? They must know that we utterly depend on our test strips and other stuff, but to effectively cut off your supply without any discussion surely must be against their whole ethos of "first do no harm"

My doctor tried cutting down my strips when he first took over but at least he had the decency to prescribe half the amount and ask me to make an appointment to discuss my needs, he didn't refuse to sign the script.

This whole saga is disgraceful and you have my utmost sympathy. We all have enough on our plates without c**p like this. I think gettting the hospital to contact your GP sounds like the best way forward, keep us informed on how it goes and good luck.

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

here;s a copy of the letter that I have just writteen to the surgery - I'm about to print it and put it in the post;


To whom it may concern
I am writing regarding the on-going issues that I am facing with my repeat prescriptions from this surgery. I have previously spoken to the practice manager regarding this issue and was advised that the problem did not lay with the surgery but rather with Boots the pharmacy. However since these previous conversations I have had no end of trouble every single month getting my repeat prescription.
The two examples I would like to quote are the following:
Before I went on holiday I ordered enough of my type 1 diabetes medication to see my through the holiday. However, despite ordering this in good time and placing a note on the repeat slip that I needed this amount of medication for my holiday, it still proved problematic. When I went to boots to pick it up, I was only given a few pots of test strips and no insulin, nor the glucagon I had ordered and I was shown what had come back from the doctors – the prescription for something less than what I had ordered. Boots began chasing this up for me and discovered that much of what I had ordered had been refused (no reason was given although I can easily guess – cost cutting!) and in the end, whilst boots managed to persuade the practice to allow me to have what I had ordered, the prescription for glucagon had been refused on the basis that I had never ordered one before and a note came back asking WHY I needed one. I was absolutely shocked and disgusted at this! As a type 1 diabetic I require a glucagon kit for emergency situations and it had been previously placed on my repeat list. I could not believe that the doctor would refuse to prescribe this for me and then ask why I needed it! Common sense should prevail in this situation and it should be worked out that the reason I get test strips and insulin is because I am diabetic and the reason I need a glucagon is exactly the same reason!
The latest debacle has really angered me. I took my repeat in to boots on Wednesday 7th September for my usual monthly order of test strips, insulin and gabapentin tablets and was told this would be back by Tuesday the following week. This was dealt with by the pharmacist on duty who has always proven to be trustworthy in the past so this fault certainly does not lie with boots. When I went in the following Wednesday (allowing a day’s grace so they could order anything in) I was told that the prescription had not come back from the doctor’s surgery. I could not believe this! I always order my prescriptions in good time so I do not run out of anything, yet this has happened again! Boots did some chasing up for me, and was told by the surgery that it would be available to be picked up from them early next week (Monday 19th or so). I could not believe this! Again, no reason was given as to what has happened so I can only guess as to what has happened. Either the prescription has been lost, or the surgery has refused to sign it given the fact that I always order quite a lot and it “costs too much”. I am absolutely disgusted that it has taken almost two weeks to sort out a simple prescription – something that I am prescribed on a monthly basis to keep myself alive!
I do not order these medications for fun, far from it. And whilst I am aware that diabetes medication does cost the NHS a lot of money surely my prescriptions would work out cheaper than me losing my legs because my doctors surgery refuse to prescribe me the things I need, and my having to have constant hospital treatment and more drugs?! Believe me when I say that if I could get away with not having to order so much, then I wouldn’t but I do it for the sheer reason that it keeps me alive and helps me to keep my blood sugar levels in check.
Because of this mess up I am now running severely short of test strips which means I am unable to check my blood sugars as often as has been advised for me to do by my diabetes consultant. I test 8-10 times per day because I need to, because I am on insulin pump therapy and because it helps me to control my diabetes. I cannot believe that due to cost, my own surgery would refuse to prescribe me what I need. After all, I have 400 strips per month which was originally agreed by the doctor (despite her protests over cost!) Indeed, even the NICE guidelines and the government agree that whatever is needed for diabetes treatment should be provided without argument.
It is getting to the stage where if these problems carry on then I will take things further, and will contact the PCT to get this sorted out. I am also sorely tempted to look into changing doctors surgeries so that I can avoid this from happening again. I am also looking into writing to my local MP regarding this as I feel as if my test strips and diabetes supplies are being rationed, with refusal coming from the doctors surgery it seems at least every month. I do not wish to go this far, but if it comes to it then I feel it may be the only option. I will also be forwarding a copy of this letter to my diabetes team at Bournemouth so they know of the problems that I have been facing.
All I ask is that I am prescribed what I need on a monthly basis and I am not challenged when I order something on my repeat which helps to keep me alive. I do not want to be challenged for ordering what I need, and I would like to be able to go into Boots and pick these up without finding that yet again the script has not been sent back from the doctor’s surgery. I do not think it is much to ask really, as all I want is to be able to have my prescriptions sorted out without aggravation which consequentially raises my stress levels!
I would very much appreciate it if something could be done regarding these problems that I am having. I am currently not able to be contacted via telephone however please feel free to write to me at the address above with a resolution, or indeed to email me at the address also quoted above.
Yours Faithfully
Samantha Mxxxxx

 

[trophywench]

I suggest slight change to the end of the penultimate paragraph, words to the effect

' ... stress levels and thereby, also my BG'

I think all in all you have done well there Sam under all the circs considering, so other than a few grammatical nitpicks and some missing capitals (boots notably!) - were I your old English teacher LOL - great!

Do you want to give em a time limit? - look forward to hearing from you - within X no of days' ???? 10 days, 14 days???

Obviously I had no idea you were having phone woes, when I kept saying Ring ... Sorry!

I find these sort of issues - fortunately rare these days for me - are much quicker resolved now I'm using a small pharmacy instead of a big un. It's 'trust' on both sides I suppose. Ph knows what I get and exactly why I get it. If it's reasonable, he gives it me anyway and sorts it out with docs himself. Oooh, might be called 'service' actually, now I come to think .....