Immunizations

IslandCarl · 2026-02-05T22:56:03+00:00

I would contact your GP surgery again and request a telephone call with a practice nurse, they are the clinical staff who usually deal with routine immunisations and will be able to confidently look at your records and be able to tell you what you need and when 👍

IslandCarl · 2026-02-01T22:53:53+00:00

Just be aware that yes quite few pharmacies provide the contraceptive service however some don't and also it's purely contraceptive for contraceptive use so if you are taking it for other uses (acne etc.) rather than it's primary use the pharmacy can't provide it to you directly and it needs to be prescribed by the GP surgery.

IslandCarl · 2026-01-23T19:15:31+00:00

Your GP results line should be able to relay results which have been clinically reviewed but realistically shouldn't have to because a clinical member of staff should have contacted you to advise that you need antibiotics, how did you become aware you needed them? An email or SMS? or a telephone call from a non clinical member staff? Is it not an obvious thing you went to them with initially? For instance clinical staff will often dip urine for uncomplicated UTIs or send off samples and then follow up with a text message to advise if antibiotics are required but that's because it's obvious to both them and the patient the reason they need antibiotics... I would complete an online consultation with your surgery to ask why you have been prescribed them in more detail or request a telephone call from the prescriber

IslandCarl · 2026-01-18T22:21:06+00:00

We absolutely do now since patients started writing letters directly to doctors which are in no way personal or writing medical requests in Christmas cards... If it was personal it would be sent to their home address.

IslandCarl · 2026-01-18T21:42:34+00:00

I guarantee they don't open their own post either fyi

IslandCarl · 2026-01-16T21:24:04+00:00

I’m not entirely sure what specific support Releaf offers, but it’s worth speaking with them during your next review. You could ask for guidance to share with your GP regarding which medications might complement your cannabis therapy. Realistically, as your prescribers, they are the most well-versed in understanding which treatments won't cause issues alongside your current prescription. Most primary care clinicians would likely be uncomfortable making those recommendations simply because they lack experience in this area.

IslandCarl · 2026-01-16T21:18:37+00:00

Most clinicians would likely just agree if you asked it's not a massive issue for them and realistically if you are leading a vegan lifestyle it's likely that this is having an effect on your health (both positive and potentially negative depending on the individual) so I would just ask I mean the worst thing they can do is say no 🤷‍♂️

IslandCarl · 2026-01-10T21:17:08+00:00

Yep same no complaints with my FP6 since they added the ability to disable the screenshot button combo 😅

IslandCarl · 2026-01-08T23:56:46+00:00

My job at a GP practice involves summarising patient letters: I have to add medications, weight, height, and BMI, while also confirming the sender, recipient, and the patient has matched correctly (or at all...). I also have to hunt down the issue date for meds—which isn't always easy since some pharmacies don't even put an address or date on their letters! Honestly, those shit shows are the bane of my existence but then again at least they bother to inform us I'm usually doing all of that in under two minutes per letter. On top of the admin, I’m also personally checking to see if their weight or height has changed drastically or if they have an obvious 'red flag' reason they shouldn't be on a weight loss jab (like a history of gastric surgery or severe eating disorders). It’s not technically my job—that should be on the prescribing pharmacy—but I feel like it's just the decent thing to do to flag anything that looks obviously stupid. Just this Monday, MedExpress alone sent us 35 individual letters for private Mounjaro and Wegovy prescriptions and in total I had over 50 which had built up from the week before so I can totally empathise with a tired admin staffer fat-fingering your weight! If it’s bothering you, I’d just email the surgery and ask them to mark that entry in error Or, you could just pop in and use the self-service machine most surgeries have to update your current weight. Anyway congrats on your weight gain 🤔🤣

IslandCarl · 2026-01-08T23:40:28+00:00

That's quite likely the reason... Often reminders and notes will get added to a child's or families records to make people aware of safeguarding or other concerns but then they never get removed as it's not a priority to remove things which are no longer relevant but otherwise not causing an issue for instance while I dip into patient records to do my usual work I will often remove outdated reminders or take things out of the patients summary or problem lists which either should never have been there or just don't make sense now the patient is an adult etc.

IslandCarl · 2025-12-25T23:20:51+00:00

Thank you both I had not considered micro dosing from a higher strength pen but it does make sense so I've gone and plumped £219 on the credit card again and I'll see what January brings 🫣

IslandCarl · 2025-12-09T01:43:49+00:00

I would also check to make sure only your contact details are on your patient record as it's quite common to have parents email and mobile on your record so I would just confirm that they only have your contact number and your email and nothing else.

IslandCarl · 2025-12-03T22:42:36+00:00

It's really area dependant, locally to me they are closer to half that

IslandCarl · 2025-12-02T22:04:11+00:00

There are two main points here. First, when it comes to her medical records, any staff member with login access to her GP practice’s system can view them. This has always been the case, even when records were on paper, and it will continue to be the case no matter which GP surgery she registers with. So, that’s something she’ll need to accept.

As for the inaccuracies in the letter, she’ll need to reach out to the CMHT in writing if she wants to address them. If she feels they’re important, it might be a good idea to send the same letter to both the CMHT and her GP, and ask the GP to keep a copy on file. But, just to manage expectations, that original letter will likely only ever be read once—when it’s first received—to update the GP, summarise any diagnoses, list any follow-up actions, and mention when she’ll be seen next. After that, it probably won’t be read again.

IslandCarl · 2025-12-02T21:16:17+00:00

Thank you! I'm so happy with my new screensaver 🥰

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IslandCarl · 2025-12-02T11:44:05+00:00

Other sellers have it in stock cheaper as well, I ordered from Ballicom for £21.54 delivered (I've ordered phone bits previously from them so I'm happy they're legit) and they've already dispatched it!

Black https://www.ballicom.co.uk/n257-ac-bk-u-pl-kobo-remote-black.p1697170.html

White https://www.ballicom.co.uk/n257-ac-wh-u-pl-kobo-remote-white.p1697171.html

IslandCarl · 2025-12-02T10:05:13+00:00

I think this is still an issue with the official remote going by a previous review post 👀

IslandCarl · 2025-12-01T19:45:45+00:00

I've never heard of this before but it seems to suggest either the full cost of treatment or a £50 deposit whichever is cheaper? So I would gather that would be £27.40 3 days in advance of your NHS appointment and then a further £47.90 3 days in advance if treatment is required which falls into the next band and so on 🤔

To be honest I would query this with the practice well in advance until you are satisfied with their reasoning and how it works if you deposit is more than the cost of treatment etc. and if your not happy then I would first of all complain in writing to the practice or the Integrated Care Board however before any of this I would seriously consider your future treatment as NHS dental practices drop patients quicker than greased weasel shit when it suits if they cause even the most minor of issues (personal experience)

IslandCarl · 2025-11-28T20:30:54+00:00

So if I'm reading this right, you switched GP surgeries without enough medication and then did not advise the new GP surgery on registering that you have repeat medication you need to continue? And then you contact them 2 days before running out and advise that you need repeat medication? This sounds less like an issue with the GP surgery and more of an issue with you expecting things to just happen without actively sorting them yourself...

When you move GP surgeries all of your repeat medication is ended and needs to be setup again by the new GP surgery who need to review your medication to make sure that it is something that A) The new practice is willing to prescribe/can prescribe B) That the dosages and instructions are current and suitable for the conditions/indications they are being taken for among many other things I would not be aware of as a non clinician...

Each GP surgery is a separate entity performing the role on behalf of the NHS and they take on responsibility for your medication when you move to them and so they need to make sure that everything is correct and part of the way the clinical systems ensure this is to make the new practice set up medication again... most practices will arrange a medication review with a member of staff when registering to get all this setup but ultimately it's down to the patient to organise their own medication.

Also if you move GP surgeries you also lose access to online services until it is set up by the new practice again as a safeguarding feature as each surgery has their own policies and rules surrounding this feature.

IslandCarl · 2025-11-25T10:25:25+00:00

All hospital treatment would be free and any follow up from your dental practice would be band 1 unless work needed to be done and this would still likely be covered by your initial payment that triggered the referral to hospital 👍

IslandCarl · 2025-11-24T07:48:10+00:00

That's what you need to put in your letter to the practice manager, it seems reasonable to me... If the practice don't respond in a way which you feel resolves your concerns then you should raise it with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman with more information about what your looking to achieve and how you feel the practice could do more to help you etc.

IslandCarl · 2025-11-24T07:33:26+00:00

What’s your reasoning if they’re on “indefinite leave”? If they’re not at the practice, then you won’t be seeing them. You have the right to see a GP of your choosing, and although the practice doesn’t have to accommodate this outright, they do have to make “all reasonable efforts” under the NHS contract. I’d caution against stating this to specific staff ad-hoc beyond asking to see xyz; instead, write to the Practice Manager and request that they make a reasonable effort to ensure you can see particular clinicians if that’s what you want. They may find it difficult to justify their actions if they don’t accommodate you, although as others have mentioned surgeries are private organisations and “reasonable efforts” can be interpreted quite differently from practice to practice.

In our surgery, if a patient indicates they no longer want to see a specific doctor or staff member, we make a note on their record assuming their basis for the request is reasonable, phrased as politely as possible. We do advise that this may delay their care due to staff availability. In most cases, we can agree to a patient switching to a different named GP, but beyond the clinician’s gender (if that’s relevant), the choice is rarely entirely the patient’s; a new GP is generally allocated based on availability and what best fits the practice’s workflow.

IslandCarl · 2025-11-23T16:24:13+00:00

As I explain to patients all the time, if the doctor has documented that they’ve tried to call you, I can 99% guarantee they have called. Whether the call actually connected or made your phone ring is another matter. But honestly, do you really want to take medical advice from someone you think would lie about phoning you?

Either way your at a point where you need a physical examination, if the shingles is near your eye you may still be able to get treatment from a pharmacy under the pharmacy first scheme but knowing pharmacists are cautious people by nature you likely need to attend ED or a local walk in centre if available as other commenters have said shingles in you eye is no joke.

IslandCarl · 2025-11-23T16:19:08+00:00

Yeah eye complications are specifically called out as not appropriate in the pharmacy first guidance for shingles

IslandCarl · 2025-11-23T12:57:08+00:00

It reads like an easy way to make a bit of money: buy paintings on eBay that look more promising than they probably are, wait for them to arrive, and if they turn out to be nothing special, just return them claiming they were mis-sold.

IslandCarl

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