No help from doctor :-(

[ClaireS82]

Hi all,
I need some advice on what to do if you don't get any help from your GP. I'm not under any hospital for my diabetes as my GP says I'm fine to just see the nurse there. However, recently I needed a new pen as it my current one started to feel loose and I don't have a spare. I phoned my GP and he said he'd get a prescription sent to my pharmacist that day. I went to the chemist only to be told that he'd sent a prescription for insulin cartridges. I then phoned and left a message on his triage. This message was never returned. My pharmacist then tried calling him to try and get it sorted for me and was told that I'd never requested a pen and that there was no record of it on his triage, despite me leaving messages for him once and speaking to him direct once. I then phoned again and was basically called a liar by the receptionist. I then sent a letter to him complete with pictures of the pen I required. I also stated how disappointed I was with the lack of help from the surgery. My letter was ignored.
So as of yet, I still don't have a new pen. I have even had to try taking apart one of my disposable long acting pens apart to try and doctor one for my Humalog. This didn't work either.
Does anyone know if there's somewhere else I can go? I don't want to have to pay £59 when I should get it for free on prescription. At the moment it feels like there's nothing I can do except laying on their doorstep with high sugar levels until I'm projectile vomiting everywhere in the hope this persuades them to give me a pen.
Unfortunately that's not an option as I don't get sick pay at work

 

[donnellysdogs]

Claire

Write to your Practice Manager. Drop the letter in and ask that this be given immediate attention. Mark on it private & confidential.

Please see if you can get your employer to allow you some flexi time or some way to get this matter resolved urgently.

You can also look up on your practice website to see if they have a comments box for contacting them. Practice Manager details for contacting are not normally given out.

You could if you could get time off work, go into the receptionist first thing and ask for an appointment... If they say there isn't one then refuse to leave and say you will set there until one of the many patients don't arrive for their appointments... And then go up to the desk every 30 mins until they get you in... That is extreme, but I do know of one patient that has done that successfully at my Practice.

You could also log this complaint ( afterwards) with the CQC as you should not have this trouble and it is a concern as the GP practice is not showing key responsibilitys that the CQC are targetting practices with:
A) are they safe
B) are they effective
C) are they caring
D) are they responsive
E) are they well led

When writing letter to Practice Manager it would be as well to add these details in...

I don't know if you are a T1 or T2, but a GP for type 1's cannot stop a referral request from the Patient to be seen at a hospital.

 

[Charles Robin]

Hi Claire, welcome to the forum. Sorry such a bad experience has led you here. Are you able to inject your insulin at all right now? If not, treat this as an emergency, and go to A and E. Explain what has happened, and that you need immediate access to a new insulin pen. They should be able to write you a prescription, and there is most likely a pharmacy at the hospital too. After that, complain to the highest body possible. If my GP did this then I would consider legal action.

 

[ClaireS82]

Claire

Write to your Practice Manager. Drop the letter in and ask that this be given immediate attention. Mark on it private & confidential.
.

Hi Donnellysdogs and Charles, I'm going to sound quite silly now but I thought my GP was the Practise Manager? He's the only doctor between two practises. I marked it for his attention as private and confidential.
I am still able to inject at present luckily. I'm just trying to prepare for when my current pen gives up as the top part is loose.
Last night I was cooking dinner and realised I had left my insulin pen at work (which was locked up at that time) and this is what prompted me to look into this further. As if I'd have had a spare pen I wouldn't have been ill all night.

I think I will book time off and just wait there like you suggested. You had already guessed correctly that it is impossible to book an appointment there

Thank you for your advice - it was very helpful!

 

[CarbsRok]

Hi Claire, just a suggestion, can you ring the manufactures and ask how to get a replacement pen. Tell them the problem and they will most probably send you a replacement. Don't tell your GP if they do then when you do manage to get a replacement from him keep it for a spare.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hi Claire

No, the GP is not the Practice Manager. The Peactice Manager's duties are to ensure that all paperwork (even gp's writing scripts) is done in a timely and accurate manner.

 

[Daibell]

What an appalling surgery. In the extreme you can buy most pens on eBay for less than the usual cost. I bought a spare Novopen that way.