Monad
10 Apr 2009, 11:23 AM
Really annoyed about this. I'm asthmatic and put in a repeat prescription request for my inhalers to my GP practice as I was running low, went in yesterday to pick them up only to get handed a note to say the GP wants me to make an appointment to review my asthma before renewing the prescription, and no they didn't have any appointments yesterday so I'm stuck the whole bank holiday weekend without my inhalers!! Irresponsible twats!! (need to vent!!)
Thing is the excuse they gave was "well you haven't asked for a prescription for several months" (from their computer records). This is true but only a moron would infer from that that I wasn't needing them any more without asking me first. The fact is I had managed to squirrel away a small stockpile of inhalers over the previous year and had been using those (this is not uncommon amongst asthmatics as the worst fear is of being stuck without inhalers when you most need them so you try and cache them around the house in places where you might need them). The previous year I had been in hospital and they had also given me a bunch.
Like many asthmatics it's also true that I tend to have periods when I am relatively better when I don't use them as much (even the preventers which is technically not a good idea but when you are well it's easy to forget until you need them again) and much of this last year apart from the autumn I had been taking them less (I suspect because I no longer work in hospitals with older people so don't get exposed to as many infections plus the smoking ban has really helped when I go out I don't get choked) except for periods like in the last month when I've had an infection so needed to bump it up again (which is why I ran out). But that does not mean I don't need them at all - when I have an exacerbation I still need my current dosage to get on top of it again.
I'm thinking about making a formal complaint - if they do this to me do they do this to others with my condition? This is an irresponsible response.
Thing is the excuse they gave was "well you haven't asked for a prescription for several months" (from their computer records). This is true but only a moron would infer from that that I wasn't needing them any more without asking me first. The fact is I had managed to squirrel away a small stockpile of inhalers over the previous year and had been using those (this is not uncommon amongst asthmatics as the worst fear is of being stuck without inhalers when you most need them so you try and cache them around the house in places where you might need them). The previous year I had been in hospital and they had also given me a bunch.
Like many asthmatics it's also true that I tend to have periods when I am relatively better when I don't use them as much (even the preventers which is technically not a good idea but when you are well it's easy to forget until you need them again) and much of this last year apart from the autumn I had been taking them less (I suspect because I no longer work in hospitals with older people so don't get exposed to as many infections plus the smoking ban has really helped when I go out I don't get choked) except for periods like in the last month when I've had an infection so needed to bump it up again (which is why I ran out). But that does not mean I don't need them at all - when I have an exacerbation I still need my current dosage to get on top of it again.
I'm thinking about making a formal complaint - if they do this to me do they do this to others with my condition? This is an irresponsible response.