Frailty assessment absolutely fuming

But they do make a difference if, for example, your patient needs to claim Attendance Allowance, or continuing healthcare funding if they are going into a home. To make knowingly false or inaccurate statements in official documents is an offence

Never heard frailty assessment?- can they do them without even telling you then??

I take medication for several purposes so access my online record every time I re-order. I am not so neurotic that I examine it regularly but now and again have had a flick through. Lots of things are absolute rubbish - tests I never had, appointments never had, and worse - diagnoses of things I do NOT suffer from and which have never even been investigated for. Some are several years old but I think I'd remember having a stroke 8 years ago on a data when DH and I were on a World Cruise, fit as fiddles.

I've never done anything about correcting the errors but it does bother me if I were to need to claim on a travel insurance policy and were told I had omitted to disclose an ailment that I never had!

A few years back I was given a frailty assessment scoreon the day of receiving my flu jab, without a single question being asked. I only found it by accident when checking my blood test results on line. It made me sound ready to need a care home, when I was fit and well. I asked for it to be changed but was told it couldn't be done, but that nobody looked at the scores anyway!

I had my yearly medication review last year by phone. It was someone I had never spoken to before and I could hardly understand her and had to keep asking her to repeat the questions. On checking my NHS App a few days later I saw she had put that my pulse was regular! I did query this with the surgery as, unless she could take it on the phone, there was no way she would know what my pulse was doing, and the nurse I spoke to said she had no idea either!

I found my frailty assessment online. I was shocked since I am fit and healthy and on no medication. It had been completed by the nurse practitioner whom I saw that day for a minor problem. It did make me wonder how I managed to telephone for an appointment and walk to the surgery. I think she must have just ticked all the boxes for an average person of my age. None of the questions and or answers had been discussed with me.

Mirren that is shocking and quite frankly makes me feel very alone and unprotected by the NHS. At the age of 83 I am very lucky to have maintained good health so far, but as the years go by things are bound to change. It seems there is nobody to whom one can turn to for help really, unless in a dire emergency.

I agree Roseberry Topping, it might be a box ticking exercise for a GP practice but could have considerable implications for people looking for benefits/insurance in the future. I think frailty in older people is something that should be taken very seriously, (just thinking of my late mum who got very frail quite suddenly due to a bowel issue, and lost a lot of quality of life as a result). I believe primary care/GPs are asked to assess health issues in the care of older people that should be assessed by more specialist geriatric care practitioners.

Nandalot

Some worrying issues here. How does one access one’s NHS file?

You download the NHS app, everything is on there Nandalot

Doing an assessment with patient consent/permission is not good practice is it? I guess the positive thing is that we can see more on the NHS app. I found this - a bit dense/complex but informative and useful on the subject of frailty.
www.bgs.org.uk/resources/introduction-to-frailty

Some worrying issues here. How does one access one’s NHS file?

Seajaye - thank you for that Link.
I checked my records recently and noticed some entries regarding my Diabetes saying I had not attened an appointment but also declined other teatments. I don't know who this person is but I haven't seen anyone about it.
I also supposedly had an email from a Doctor. No such thing.
I have written to the Practice Manager but still waiting after 5 days. At least your template will give them a kick up the backside to change things.

Before you jump up and down about your frailty assessment, have a look at what the definitions are. I was quite surprised at how I was considered mildly frail until I looked at the definitions. Also, be aware that the scales might be different at different times or in different places. For example, what the hospital rate you whilst you are there s might be very different from what the GP would say having looked at your health record.
"Frail" appears to be the wrong word in these assessments. You might be strong as an ox and otherwise healthy but if you can't walk far, you might meet the definition of "frail". You might have all sorts of problems which impact your health but if you can walk and don't need a lot of help you wouldn't necessarily meet the criteria to even be "mildly frail."

Thank you Minigrandma for bringing this up, and to Pammie1 and Seajaye for important information. I had no idea this kind of thing was/is going on and being on my own (no family in this country), I try to be aware of future potential health issues, real or (mis) construed.

I discovered my risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 yrs is almost 20%

Did no one pick up on the fact that you are 80% likely to not have a heart attack or stroke?

Thanks everyone, the GP surgery have been in touch and are looking into my complaint.

Its another government box ticking exercise, it appeared on my medical records a few months ago and was invited for an assessment, to see if there was anything they can help me with.
All they have done is given me more to worry about🙄

Artificial intelligence is taking over a lot of important tasks like this. You can make a data subject access request to correct any incorrect data held. A draft letter to send to the practice is available here:

ico.org.uk/for-the-public/your-right-to-get-your-data-corrected/

What is a Frailty Assessment ? Never heard of it …

Pammie1, you are very god on giving advice like this. I am also a carer and I have found you have to be firm and consistent in order to get taken seriously. This may involve documenting all communications, documenting day to day health and function and just preserving with a system that is often set up to fail those most vulnerable using it.

Good luck minigrandma

You have bought up an important issue. Mirren says “ no one takes the slightest bit of notice after they have been done “. This may be true for the GP practice but if you in the future want to make a claim for state benefits or on your holiday insurance, other government agencies and insurance companies will look at them in detail for reasons not to pay out.
Good advice from Pammie1 to make sure your health records are accurate.

I checked my medical record on line yesterday prior to a phone call from GP re high cholesterol. I discovered my risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 yrs is almost 20% This was assessed last yr, no idea when or where unless at an annual asthma review but it has never been mentioned to me. So...9 yrs to go!

I'm a GP and I hate these various, totally pointless assessments.
We are expected to go through a complicated on line form which asks silly questions.
No one takes the slightest bit of notice after they've been done.
It's just another daft government idea to give us more irrelevant work to do and tick boxes.
Don't worry about what's been written. No one is ever going to look again till next year when we start all over again!
The Dementia reviews are even worse and don't get me started on EHCP ( Emergency health care planning)

These Frailty assessments are certainly a cause for concern. I was checking my Health Record and found much to my surprise that I had been assessed as Mildly Frail. I had seen no- one ..not even a phone assessment. To say I was furious is to put it mildly! I eventually managed to speak to the Practice Manager who told me not to worry, the assessment had been done by computer, based on my age, health issues and medication! No one had seen me, spoken to me and frankly obviously knew very little about me. Family and friends thought it comical, but what concerned and worried me was that it may have implications for my future health care. I asked for it to be removed, and it has been.

This could have really serious repercussions, good advice Pammie1, thankyou.