Vent needed about GP at my surgery

mum2one

I need to vent my anger and disguist at the way i was treated by a GP at my pratice this afternoon, I don't know whether I should let it lie or ring and speak to the Pratice manager or go to the PCT trust.

This is the situation

About 3 weeks ago my daughter had her check up at the dentist, (shes 9 1/2) and he suggested that she needs a prescription based toothpaste (high fluoride - same i have to have) he gave us a prescription and said as she would need it for long term could we get it put onto repeat at the GP surgery, the same as they do with mine.

Put request in 3 weeks ago, 3 phonecalls from different reception staff saying this is new, explained it all, another call this morning the doctor needs to speak to you, not our registered GP, this other one rang (I always put the phone on loudspeaker, blocked ears), she was moaning it was a dentist job, can't I be like normal people and buy toothpaste, shes disguisted that another GP in the pratice has given a prescription, she won't, shes got to investage it, offered to give her dentist details, no thats not good enough, its coming out the pratices budget, don't I realise how much I'm costing them already (did I ask to be asthmatic, diabetic, need epi pens, pain killers to function - I had 14 items on repeat), she was shouting, I said please don't shout at me, I;m only passing on the message from the dentist. Then she moaned as I have the same toothpaste, (thats because my medication affects the enamel on my teeth, I'm waiting for crown no 4.

She said she would have to speak to another department as shes been a GP for over 15 years and never prescribed toothpaste to anyone, and how disguisting it was that i dare ask.
I asked sorry to be a pain, but do you when we would be able to get an answer regarding the toothpaste, her answer was i don't I'll put it at the bottom of my paperwork and get round to when I can, i'm a doctor i'm not here to chase the price of medications and whether I can prescribe them.

She was shouting, I was more in shock, In the end I said i'm only doing what my dentist asked me to do, please don't shout at me, if your going to continue shouting at me, then i can't speak to you. So she put the phone down.

When the call ended I just burst into tears, I think it was more shock at the way i had been spoken to, i'm 41, an adult, but the more I thought about it tonight and discussed it with my parents, who were in the room at the time, they were absolutly gobsmacked and disguisted.

I really feel like telling the surgery to stuff it, and locate somewhere nearer to me.

It is not the 1st time that we have had issues, (including being given tablets allergic to, which is actually on do not give her, a nurse mucked around my asthma medication that I ended up in a+e twice with asthma attacks and when i saw a GP he went mad with the nurse, and told her not to treat me again, and due to treatment, I ended up on very string mediciation to try to recover my lungs)

HappyMJ

Why doesn't the dentist give you the repeat prescription?

And...what is the prescription exactly for?

Horseunderwater

She cannot stop a child of 9 1/2 getting this as it is free, so complain away. And also mention that you have a complaint against her re your med's too. Go to PCT I think and tell them all what you have told us here. If you are Diabetic and on tablets/insulin then you are entitled to free scripts no matter what or how many med's are on them. I have 2 illnesses that qualify me for free med's, so god knows what she'd say to me about all mine! Gov't states you're entitled then you're entitled. GP has no say in it all. And if she denied me my med's, by God she'd hear from me and also my MP and PCT and anyone else I could think of. Perhaps report to GMC too!

mum2one

HappyMJ wrote: »

Why doesn't the dentist give you the repeat prescription?

And...what is the prescription exactly for?

Its a prescription based toothpaste, the dentist as we only see every 6 months, and as I already my toothpaste on prescription on repeat, its easier for us to ring the chemist and ask for x.,y,z,to be ordered. x

RuthnJasper

M2O, if this is a really distressing issue for you and your DD, I honestly would register elsewhere. There are good and bad folks everywhere but, going from your posting history on here, I don't think that you are an objectionable person. Either you got a genuinely offensive person at the GP's surgery or just some poor NHS bod having a bad day - whatever the case, you didn't deserve someone mouthing-off at you.

As Happy suggests though, cannot the dentist (if it's an NHS dentist) prescribe the toothpaste that your DD needs? It ought to be possible for him/her to do this.

Also, for someone at the surgery to suggest that you "cost too much" is revolting. I have been very, VERY seriously ill in the past. I'm recovering as best I can now. My mother has had cancer (of the breast) twice. We have both been saved from certain death by NHS surgeons. I'll always be grateful to the NHS. But even if (my mum or) I had never, ever, been ill, I'd never begrudge the fact that my NI payments had been used towards those who needed treatment more that I did. That's the principle, surely, of the "Welfare State" - we support ourselves AND each other with our contributions.

Glad you felt able to rant here, Mum2One, I hope it helped. Wishing you and your DD happier (and healthy!) times ahead. xx

mum2one

Horseunderwater wrote: »

She cannot stop a child of 9 1/2 getting this as it is free, so complain away. And also mention that you have a complaint against her re your med's too. Go to PCT I think and tell them all what you have told us here. If you are Diabetic and on tablets/insulin then you are entitled to free scripts no matter what or how many med's are on them. I have 2 illnesses that qualify me for free med's, so god knows what she'd say to me about all mine! Gov't states you're entitled then you're entitled. GP has no say in it all. And if she denied me my med's, by God she'd hear from me and also my MP and PCT and anyone else I could think of. Perhaps report to GMC too!

Thank you, I didn't know if I was being over sensitive. x

HappyMJ

mum2one wrote: »

Its a prescription based toothpaste, the dentist as we only see every 6 months, and as I already my toothpaste on prescription on repeat, its easier for us to ring the chemist and ask for x.,y,z,to be ordered. x

I was just thinking that if it's a high fluoride toothpaste then most of them are only recommended for persons aged 10 and over. The GP will not want to take the risk (even though it is miniscule) and leave it up to the dentist to prescribe.

Torry_Quine

That sounds awful and I feel you are definitely justified in making a complaint to the practice.

ukjoel

We used to prescribe cakes, biscuits , and pizzas.

If your on a gluten free diet you can pretty much get your weekly shop on a prescription.

We also used to get prescription requests for paracetamol, asprin etc (from people who didnt pay prescription charges) as its cheaper to cost £10 to the taxpayer than spend their own 23p at Tescos.

mum2one

RuthnJasper wrote: »

M2O, if this is a really distressing issue for you and your DD, I honestly would register elsewhere. There are good and bad folks everywhere but, going from your posting history on here, I don't think that you are an objectionable person. Either you got a genuinely offensive person at the GP's surgery or just some poor NHS bod having a bad day - whatever the case, you didn't deserve someone mouthing-off at you.

As Happy suggests though, cannot the dentist (if it's an NHS dentist) prescribe the toothpaste that your DD needs? It ought to be possible for him/her to do this.

Also, for someone at the surgery to suggest that you "cost too much" is revolting. I have been very, VERY seriously ill in the past. I'm recovering as best I can now. My mother has had cancer (of the breast) twice. We have both been saved from certain death by NHS surgeons. I'll always be grateful to the NHS. But even if (my mum or) I had never, ever, been ill, I'd never begrudge the fact that my NI payments had been used towards those who needed treatment more that I did. That's the principle, surely, of the "Welfare State" - we support ourselves AND each other with our contributions.

Glad you felt able to rant here, Mum2One, I hope it helped. Wishing you and your DD happier (and healthy!) times ahead. xx

Thank you so much, I had tear, you were so nice.
Sorry you and mum have been so poorly, glad youve come through the other side.

Going nearly 2 yrs, I thought I was having an asthma attack which wasn't settling, pulled into a NHS walk in, been to shopping centre, put it down to come from heat to freezing, cold and triggered this weird attack heading fro the hospital, the NHS centre was nearer called in, within 2 mins all hell broke loose, it turned out I was having a severe anaplyhlixis attack and was literally a heirs breath away from not being here. Without the GP + nurse, I wouldn't be here. I know epi-pens cost £60 each, but I have had 8 attack in 18mths, so unfortunatly drain system, quicker and more cost effective for me to be self jabbed and checked by an ambulance then ending in HDU.

Were going the walk in centre tomorrow to c if there taking new patients, its actually knocks 10-15mins off our journey.

have to speak to the dentist and get him to bulk perscribe. xx

mum2one

HappyMJ wrote: »

I was just thinking that if it's a high fluoride toothpaste then most of them are only recommended for persons aged 10 and over. The GP will not want to take the risk (even though it is miniscule) and leave it up to the dentist to prescribe.

It does say for 10 and over, shes 10 in September, the GP didn't even mention that, I would have understood if that had been a reason for refusual x