How To Report A GP Practice

I’d like to complain about several issues, but think I’d then have to change Practice.

When we had our small care company (a while ago now) we had a similar problem with a client newly discharged from hospital. Her GP refused to prescribe the medication as directed by the hospital and, instead, gave a cheaper version which, we were told, would do the same job. It didn’t, so we contacted NICE as they were the ones who had told the GP to prescribe a cheaper one. It did the trick, so maybe you could do the same?

Yes I did this when my Gp refused to give me a repeat of the percription that I was due when I queried it with her she said my meds were very expensive, so I told my consultant exactly what she said and he took over and dealt with the matter let’s say he wasn’t impressed

It was a NHS appointment. The GP has prescribed the right medication before , no reason why the can't
and they have the consultant's letter on file . It's an awful practice . They once left hubby outside in the car park and told him to ring 111 .

Nanato3

Has anyone reported their GP Practice for not being treated with medication like a consultant has asked them to be ??
Who do you make a complaint to ? I've never done this before.

Was this a private consultation? Or an NHS specialist appointment?

No one has asked was the consultant the OP saw seen as a private patient. From experience when I saw a gynaecologist privately he also changed my HRT and gave me an initial private prescription. I had to pay for my meds. He said to ask my GP. to prescribe which he has continued to do so but I gather is under no obligation to do so but I might be wrong. This was just pre covid so I don’t know if the position has changed.

As others have said - have you asked why you have not been given the medication? I had physiotherapy and other investigations which were recommended by the GP but suggestions for medications from the Physiotherapist by email/letter were not followed up. This was easily remedied by asking the receptionist to follow up the recommendation with the GP on my behalf.
A day later I had a text message saying the prescription had been forwarded to the pharmacy. The GPs are busy people and many results of tests/letters are just scanned to your records by their admin staff and not necessarily acted on.

GPs are not able to prescribe all medications, and I wonder if the issue here is that the antibiotic your consultant has prescribed for you is more specialist than they are able to prescribe? I think Visgirl is right, you need to speak with the practice pharmacist to understand exactly what the issue is. You could waste time if you go straight into a formal complaints process without understanding exactly what the issue is, when it’s possible the pharmacist may be able to resolve it - that might entail contacting the consultant for him to contact the GP direct, or prescribe directly if it is something the GP cannot sign off.

When I emailed the Practice Manager complaining about the treatment (or lack of) that I had received he was on the phone to me within 20 minutes.

There is an organisation that will help in these cases I am pretty sure it is called PALS and is seperate from the GP

PALS is the place to go for this. They can liaise between consultants and GPs for you. I have found them rather helpful.

Write to the practice manager, give them a realistic timescale to respond, if not settled to your satisfaction, do the same to the primary care trust, copying practice manager in, again no resolution, write to GMC and copy all other parties in.

Nanato3

Visgir1

If the Practice has a Pharmacist, phone them and tell them about the change of Meds, a Consultant letter has been sent explaining. They can highlight and put it in front of the GP and wizz the Meds to your local Pharmacy.
Also, if your still unhappy write to the Practice Manager, they will action any complaints.

Thanks Visgirl , will try that .

You could also try PALS if you have no luck with the practice manager or another GP, you are allowed to see any GP as you will know. Is your GP a partner at the surgery if not write to the partners as well as the Practice Manager.

A similar thing happened to my husband about a recommended medication. Having worked as a receptionist in the same surgery for 24 years, I was reluctant to complain. However I wrote to the Practice Manager saying the instruction had been overlooked and to make sure it didn’t happen again to someone else. I was pleased with her response. When I was being trained, it was instilled into us that if we started a query we had to follow it through. That doesn’t seem to be the case now unfortunately.

Have they explained why the alternative does not woŕk? I think that needs to be established before you do anything else.

My consultant, if I need a new prescription, will write me one which can be filled at the hospital pharmacy. She will then write to my GP about the appointment and the new prescription is added to my record. She also notifies my local pharmacy about the new prescription. So I've never had any complaints.

You can find contact numbers for the local PALS via the NHS website. Maybe contact them first for some advice.

You can get advice from PALS ( PATIENT ADVICE and CARE SERVICE) and contact the local ICB ( INTEGRATED CARE BOARD) with complaints like this.

It may be something as simple as GP not receiving information from the consultant. Maybe ring the Consultant’s secretary at the hospital they are usually very good at sorting these things out.

I have no idea what the current procedure is in the UK and it used to depend on whether you lived in Scotland or England.

Start by phoning the consultant who prescribed the medicine and tell him, or his secretary that your GP has not received notification that the consultant has prescribed this for you. Ask whether it is your GP or the consultant who will be making out further prescriptions.

If the consultant won't or can't help, phone your GP practice and again word this as an enquiry rather than a complaint, saying you are puzzled to know who is actually to make out the prescriptions for you.

If this doesn't help, Citizen's advice should know what the procedure for registering a complaint is..

I think ringing up the consultants secretary and explaining what's happened to her with a request that he contact the GP and sort it out with perhaps another mention that the alternative the GP wants to prescribe doesn't work. If that fails or the consultant doesn't wish to contact GP then I think the practice manager is the next step. Best of luck with everything.

Write to the practice manager asking why and stating you want an answer back in writing within xx days. Send a copy of the letter to your consultant with a letter from you asking them to follow up with your GP again asking for a reply in writing. Good luck

I agree. In that way the practice manager will have to explain in writing why they are refusing to give you the medication.

You start by writing to the Manager and copy in your local health authority and MP. You may get it resolved that way, if not, then start a formal complaint, you can get the details from your surgery's web site and again, send a copy to the health authority and MP. They cannot ask you to leave if you are courteous in your communications, you are entitled to complain but I would write in the first instance.

Visgir1

If the Practice has a Pharmacist, phone them and tell them about the change of Meds, a Consultant letter has been sent explaining. They can highlight and put it in front of the GP and wizz the Meds to your local Pharmacy.
Also, if your still unhappy write to the Practice Manager, they will action any complaints.

Thanks Visgirl , will try that .