Wellside Surgery – Sedative Prescribing Policy

Phobia (flying) FEAR OF FLYING

Patients come to us, asking us to prescribe sedative drugs such as diazepam for fear of flying. There are a number of very good reasons why prescribing this drug is not recommended.

1) Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.

2) Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than 4 hours.

3) Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number have paradoxical agitation and increased aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.

4) According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (BNF) Benzodiazepines are contraindicated (not allowed) in treating phobia. Your doctor would be taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. They are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.

5) Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.

6) Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines. We have listed a number of these below.

Easy Jet    http://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com

British Airways     http://www.flyingwithconfidence.com

 Virgin     https://www.flyingwithoutfear.co.uk/fear-of-flying-courses/adult-course/

Sedatives For Scans

We are unable to prescribe sedatives, such as diazepam, for any procedure or scan being undertaken outside of Wellside Surgery, this includes MRI scans and dental procedures. If you feel you need sedation in such circumstances, please speak to the team undertaking the procedure or scan.

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP.

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.

How your data is used

Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnosis is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital.

It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.

Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.

You have a choice

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?

No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.

What do you need to do?

If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.

To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

Download a copy of the patient leaflet

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working at the WELLSIDE SURGERY in the last financial year before tax and national insurance is 70,381.

This is for 7 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.

It should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to for many judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

All patients registered with the practice have a Named GP as per our contractual requirements – details of your Named GP will appear on the right hand side of your prescription.

Please be assured that you are still able to see any member of our GP team.

This practice is part of a network of General Practices in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who host medical research on a regular basis. Occasionally we may invite you to take part in a research project. This information may be sent to you or given to you by a health professional. Your participation in any research study is entirely voluntary and much appreciated.

You can find out more about taking part in research on the NIHR website:

• https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/

We aim to provide a friendly, courteous and professional service at all times and we welcome any comments regarding your views on the service we provide.

Please contact our Practice Manager, Mrs Claire Wright, either in writing, by telephone or via email.

Address:
Wellside Surgery
45 High Street
Sawtry
Huntingdon
PE28 5SU

Telephone:
01487 833855 (direct line)

Email:
claire.wright2@nhs.net

Please see our Practice Complaints Procedure, available from reception, for further information regarding the process for making a formal complaint.

The Health Service Ombudsman in England

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website contains detailed information on raising a complaint about any aspect of the NHS in England. There is also a leaflet explaining the procedure of bringing a complaint to the ombudsman.

All patients have the right to access their own health records. Please contact our Administration Team on 01487 833852 for further information.

Patients may now register for online access to their medical records. If you would like to be able to view this information online please collect a registration form from our reception team.

Wellside Surgery is registered with the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act and conforms to all the requirements regarding our handling of your confidential information.

Our Privacy Notice has been revised to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect on 25th May 2018. A copy can be accessed here – Wellside Surgery Privacy Notice.

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. All members of the practice team are bound by strict rules regarding patient confidentiality.

Please note, due to our obligation to protect patient confidentiality, we are unable to provide any information to a third party without consent of the patient concerned. This may include information relating to a child depending upon their age and level of competency.