Bloody Doctor's.

[TheAnimus]

So three weeks ago now I went to the dr's, on an emergency appointment because i'd had a small asthma attack the night before, about 15 min after i'd showered from the gym. Rather worrying indeed.

It had been over a year since i'd last bothered to see a Dr about my asthma, and i needed a repeat of Salbutamol which i couldn't get without an emergency appointment (i'd totally run out).

So i see this Dr in a production line environment. Explain the story, get my repeat of sabutamol, but she changes my Seretide dose to only 125micrograms...... I mention the fact its 250 at present, but she says it won't be, they only make a 125. I say no, she looks its up in her desk reference, and oh they do make one. (not to mention it said it was a 250 on the computer, but she was a luddite).

So fast forward 2 weeks and muggins has an asthma attack, now the problem is i've been given prendisalone as normal, but its just not working. Reason being i've only just be re-prescride the high enough does preventative.

Should i complain via the practice? A regulating Body? Complain to my MP that a target driven get the patentient in and out in 5 min policy is working very badly?

[shelley bda]

That is just awful, and it shouldn't of happened thank god your ok.

Your GP practice should have a complaints procedure for patients, ask to see it because it will tell you what you need to do if your not happy with the response of the practise

Let us know how you get on

Last time I had to have an emergency appointment I had to speak to a Triage Nurse first and She decideded whether I was ill enough to warrant seeing a Doctor, wasn't happy.... I know I needed to see a Doctor ( aint tellin' ya what was wrong, tis Girlie stuff ) didn't need a Nurse to tell me, and they certainly shouldn't make decisions like that over the phone.

[Lucio]

Last time I had to have an emergency appointment I had to speak to a Triage Nurse first and She decideded whether I was ill enough to warrant seeing a Doctor, wasn't happy.... I know I needed to see a Doctor ( aint tellin' ya what was wrong, tis Girlie stuff ) didn't need a Nurse to tell me, and they certainly shouldn't make decisions like that over the phone.

Unfortuantely not every single person is capable of making an accurate diagnosis of their medical needs. Thanks to the internet there's far too many "expert" patients out there and it's a royal pain in the arse for doctors. In TheAnimus's case, this backfired for the doctor because he really knew his own treatment protocol (as is the case with most people with a chronic condition).

As for the triage nurse, it's becoming a more common practice, because it enpowers experienced nurses to help manage case loads effeciently. In A&E triage is an accepted practice that has saved many lives by using medical staff effeciently. Using it for other emergancy medical services isn't proven yet, but it's the only sensible way to manage the very limited medical resources.

If you think about it this way, you get someone with pain calling the emergancy doctor, whilst someone else is experiencing a heavy, unexpected bleed. There isn't enough time to see both patients, but by talking to the nurse she discovers the person in pain has a chronic condition and just needs more pills, which can wait a little bit longer. A few minutes on the phone with each person with an experienced professional helped ensure the best outcome.


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Oh and TheAnimus, first step is to contact your Primary Care Trust, they're the body responsible for your GP's conduct. Best bet is to check with the receptionist at your GP's as they'll have the relevant details.