Time for a little rant…
So as you might know from previous posts, continence is a common issue with spinal cord damage and for a while now I’ve relied on continence products to allow me to go out and about with confidence. Once I’d got the right products sorted through the wonderful people at the Bladder and Bowel service (genuine complement, not my typical sarcastic remark!), I was able to quite happily order repeats through the NHS App. Even better if I had any queries, I could order directly from Coloplast Charter through their online portal where all my prescribed products were in my profile. An added bonus was they would supply complimentary products such as wet wipes, dry wipes, and disposal bags when I need them. Coloplast Charter would review my request, pass the request to the GP for approval and ship out the products.
A few months ago I got a message from the GP practice (or perhaps it was direct from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB) to say they were changing their prescribing system for continence and stoma products to a local “dedicated” service. It asked if I wanted to opt out of the service. Now my thinking was that I definitely need the products so why would I opt out?
Roll forward to yesterday when I realised I needed a top-up, so I went onto my Coloplast account only to find my profile had no products listed. Nevertheless I searched for the items and requested a delivery. An hour or so later I got an email from Coloplast to say they couldn’t provide the items as they needed to be ordered from the HIOW service. I duly rang the number to get a voicemail saying
- The service only operates 9am-3.30pm Monday to Friday
- Leave a message and someone will get back to me, but …
- … It might take a while to reply because they are only a small team and they have a big backlog
It was after 3.30pm so I thought I’d ring back this morning. I did so and got exactly the same message. No option to wait in a queue etc. I sent a message to the GP practice to ask why they had taken this (to me retrograde) step. I got an email back to say it wasn’t the practice’s decision, it had been made by the ICB. It pointed out that the text I’d been sent had asked if I wanted to opt out and since I hadn’t replied they had presumed I was happy to go ahead with opting out. Now as I alluded to earlier, I interpreted the opt out as opting out of the continence service entirely and NOT opting out of the less digitally and patient friendly local prescribing service, and therefore sticking with the digital solution. The email asked if I wanted to opt out now, but pointed out that if I did that I would have to order things myself via the NHS App! OMG, how can I possibly be expected to do something digitally, all on my own, any time of the day or night? Do they think this is the 21st century or something? 😮😆 Needless to say I have politely asked them to opt me out of the service and I will take the chance that I am still technically competent enough to work out how to order things through the NHS App – in exactly the same way as I order a dozen or so medications on a very regular basis. Funny isn’t it that they feel it necessary to have me speak to an advisor before I can order continence products, but I can order repeats of controlled drugs with ease? 🤷♂️
My expectation is that them opting me out will be a lengthy process whilst they double check patient consent, satisfy themselves that I have the mental capacity to take on such responsibility, all presumably via a chain of hand-written letters posted out to relevant authorities. I have therefore asked in the meantime if they could kindly order the items I need.
A couple of questions perhaps someone at the HIOW ICB could mull over:
- Why are they moving the default away from the NHS App at a time when everything else is going towards the NHS App (I have to hold my hands up and say I haven’t fully digested every word of the NHS 10 year plan yet, but I’m pretty sure there’s a strong message about the NHS App being at the centre of everything).
- Perhaps the service wouldn’t be quite as busy and not have a big backlog if they allowed patients to continue to order things on line themselves by default, and keep the telephone service to those who really need advice or can’t work the NHS App for whatever personal circumstances might prohibit them?
Ok rant over. But just a final note to say, if you catch me peeing in the bushes whilst I’m out with the dog, it’s not because I’m rude and uncouth, it’s because someone at the ICB broke a perfectly functioning continence service by dragging it back to the 1990s. Oh, and if I happen to be wobbling around as I try to pee in a bush, it’s not because I’m drunk at 8am, it’s because I’m very unsteady on my feet for medical reasons, but I’m not willing to even try to master taking a pee into a bush from sitting in my power chair, so standing as best I can it is. 😜
Footnote: yes I was very tempted to call this post “They’re (not) taking the piss”! 😆