Does the GP have the right to refuse a CT scan?

C_Mababejive

CT & MRI scans are not allowed under the NHS as they are too expensive.

clemmatis

I've had two NHS CT scans (head scans) and one NHS MRI scan (spinal). One of the CT scans was a GP referral and my GPs can refer for MRIs too. I'm sure they're very restricted under the NHS and they can only be done quickly if there's a very good case.

Errata

C_Mababejive wrote: »

CT & MRI scans are not allowed under the NHS as they are too expensive.

I wonder what I've been having for the last 15 months then? Care to make a guess, it's beyond my creative talents.

jennie-jack

i have had two mri's under the nhs, my son has had one too.

i had chest ct when i got sick in spain that was expensive for the insurance company but they gave me a copy of the films.

i would think he could refuse you one if he doesnt think it will make any difference to your care.

1jim

CT's and MRI's are available on the NHS, but they are used as a diagnostic measure or where a scan would dictate a change in treatment. They are expensive and demand for time in these scanners can be huge, it may be that you need to discuss the rationale for not having another scan, it may be that it will not change diagnosis or the treatment...for long term back problems a pain clinic review may be the way to go

C_Mababejive

Errata wrote: »

I wonder what I've been having for the last 15 months then? Care to make a guess, it's beyond my creative talents.

The irony was lost on you ?

I mean that there is a hidden agenda to restrict CT & MRI scanning due to costs/uptime of suites and staff availability and costs. Strangely,in many other developed Euro countries, their availability is as commonplace and on a par with old fashioned X rays.

FleurDuLys

C_Mababejive wrote: »

CT & MRI scans are not allowed under the NHS as they are too expensive.

Don't be silly! Wherever did you hear that? CT and MRI scans are done whenever there is a clinical need for them.

dizzie

Did your previous CT scan show up any structural pathology or was it reported as normal? The format for diagnosis should be to glean a differential diagnosis from a detailed clinical history and examination. That should be sufficient for an expert to make a judgement about what the diagnosis may be. Then, investigations (such as MRI...other posters are correct, CT is little used for low back pain these days) are sometimes used to confirm or exclude certain diagnosis BASED on clinical suspicion. It is absolutely ESSENTIAL to do it this way around. For example if you were to take an MRI scan of the lumbar spine in a sample of people over the age of 40, as many as one third of them would have disc bulges. In most people, these would not be causing any symptoms at all. So whilst an MRI is very sensitive, it can throw up structural "red herrings" which may not be the cause of your pain!

Incidentally, many people suffer with low back pain which has no identifiable structural cause on any type of scan or x-ray. This does not mean that there is not a problem. Back pain can arise from normal-looking tissues which are "dysfunctional". As an example, poor posture can lead to muscle imbalances and little areas of chronic muscle spasm (trigger points) can develop which can refer pain elsewhere. Such a diagnosis is not made via a scan, but by a proper clinical examination. This is something that your GP is not trained to do, and after such a long period of pain, if the diagnosis is still unclear and no management plan has been suggested, then you should be being referred. In the first instance, this may be to a physiotherapist, or alternatively some GPs would refer on to a local NHS musculoskeletal service provider or to the pain anaesthetists.

So to summarise. You cannot demand a CT scan and it is probably not a sensible request anyway. But you should expect that your pain is taken seriously and if the GP is unable to manage your condition, then you should expect him to refer you to someone who is trained to do so.

[Deleted User]

C_Mababejive wrote: »

CT & MRI scans are not allowed under the NHS as they are too expensive.

what utter and total rubbish !

back to the OP if gp is refusing scans demand a referal to a consultant and discuss the need for further scans with them

Humphrey10

I've been referred for a CT scan on the NHS (I had it done privately instead though, as I could have it done the same day privately or wait 3 weeks for the NHS one. Why on earth don't the NHS use private CT scanners as well as their own as they clearly need more capacity?), it was clear so now I've been referred for an MRI scan (strangely, it was a 2 week wait for that, I had though it would be a longer waiting list than for the CT).
So the NHS is happy to refer people for scans, as long as there is a reason for them.