A Moulsecoomb councillor has raised her concerns about a doctors’ surgery after reports of a breakdown of communication over a repeat prescription request from a resident.
Councillor Amanda Grimshaw said that poor communication from The Avenue Surgery, in Moulsecoomb, has led her to intervene three times on behalf of a single patient – and once on behalf of another.
An anonymous Moulsecoomb resident said that she had become overwhelmed and “beaten down” after trying to book a medication review appointment to continue receiving her repeat prescription before Christmas.
The patient was contacted by the surgery and prescribed their medication after Brighton and Hove News and Councillor Grimshaw raised her case.
The anonymous woman said: “Why must I have to fight for the most basic of things?
“Why must I have to go full Karen just to get a simple thing like a repeat for something I have had for years? It feels personal against me.
“I am exhausted and beaten down by this stupid system. I still also feel guilty because what about people who don’t even have the balls to ask someone else to help them? It’s so demoralising.”
When trying to order repeat medication that she had received for the past 10 years, the woman was told by her pharmacy two weeks ago that a prescription had not been received.
Despite persistently calling the surgery, she was unable to get through by phone to ask why.
After asking for Councillor Grimshaw’s help, the GP surgery told the councillor that a medication review appointment was needed.
The patient had been trying to make an appointment by phone. Due to her health she was not able to walk to the surgery to make an appointment.
This is the third time the same patient said that she had suffered as a result of poor communication from the surgery.
The anonymous woman said that she had not made a formal complaint about the surgery in case of repercussions – and because she felt too unwell to “battle” through the complaints procedure.
Councillor Grimshaw had previously intervened on behalf of another patient at the surgery and was concerned about her own emails and phone calls to the practice going unanswered.
She said: “I utterly support the NHS in striking and I don’t want to bash the practice but I am wondering if there is something fundamentally different in the way this practice runs because patients can’t get through by phone or email.
“I have a resident who can’t even get a repeat prescription that they have had for years. Even the pharmacy can’t get a response.
“Patients without prescriptions like the one today have felt suicidal. It’s not right when the pharmacy can’t get a response and I have to go right to the top for the third time now.”
The Avenue Surgery said: “We are committed to providing the best possible care for every patient and we are sorry to hear that a patient has been having trouble contacting us.
“Like all NHS services at this time, we have been dealing with an increased level of need for our services and this sometimes leads to patients having to join a queue for a short time before getting through to one of our receptionists on the phone.
“Our teams are working incredibly hard to respond to everyone who needs us.
“There are a number of ways that patients can get their repeat prescriptions without having to call the practice, for example, by completing the slip on their last prescription and sending it in via post or leaving it at reception, by going on the NHS app or NHS 111 online, by registering online via our practice website or by requesting it from your local pharmacy.
“Sometimes, patients on repeat prescriptions will be asked to book an appointment for a check up to review their regular medications. Please book an appointment if you are due a medication review.
“If there is an ongoing issue with the level of communication or care received, we would encourage patients to please follow our usual complaints process so we can resolve the issue together.
“Raising a complaint will not affect the quality of care received by patients.”
I have experienced some thing very similar to the person above, I fill out the repeat prescription request form and drop it in to the avenue surgery. Two days later I have to repeat the process because I am short the medication Kamsons always advise me that they only receive request for 5 different medication rather then the nine I may have requested. I have queried this with the Dr’s surgery and they have advised me that it is Kamsons. Kamsons say it is the Dr’s Surgery. Who knows all I know is that on some occasions it has taken me up to three weeks to get my full medication and I am in so much pain and so unwell that I get so upset that I just want everything to end, yes sometimes I feel suicidal.
This is just normal. I have the same issue with another unconnected surgery in Hove. The service is just terrible. I am seriously thinking of going private as the service in my surgery is so awful I am concerned for my life. NHS just not fit for purpose and is a disaster that kills people. Now on top of it their staff feeling it is ok killing patients by going on strike. If I didn’t like my job I would leave. I wouldn’t kill people by not turning up to work in an attempt to get a 19% pay rise.
According to the Avenue Surgery, there are a number of ways that patients can get their repeat prescriptions without having to call the practice, for example, by completing the slip on their last prescription and sending it in via post or leaving it at reception, by going on the NHS app or NHS 111 online, by registering online via our practice website or by requesting it from your local pharmacy.
All very well, but the patient in the article is unable to walk, and it is quite possible that she does not have a computer. Thank goodness there are people like Amanda Grimshaw to deal with it. Why do surgeries assume that all patients are able to deal with the complications of communicating with a surgery by phone or online?
I would be more than happy to provide solutions. Current status shows a really low rate of uptake with repeat prescribing, or batch prescriptions. In a ideal environment, this could reduce clerical work pressures by 92% approximately on the pharmacy teams in surgery, and with the saved time, appointments can be made for medicine reviews and planned ahead.
#StitchInTimeSaves999