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"paradox of gp services"

About: Central Lancashire PCT

(as a parent/guardian),

my son was referred to a specialist for assessment for a neurological condition. A condition was diagnosed. Once stable on medication the consultant referred my son back to the gp with instructions about dosage requirements and an indication that he will review again in 3 months.

An expectation that prescribing by the gp was implicit but on enquiry the surgery told me that they are unhappy to prescribe the medication due to the necessary monitoring required.

NICE guidance states that monitoring should take place 6 monthly and that GP and specialist services should work together to enhance patient care.

If the GP refuses to prescribe and we have to make a monthly 52 mile round trip just to pick up a prescription - I see that as a discrimination issue (related to a particular neurological disorder) - am I wrong?

Putting this in context, other drugs are prescribed under direction of a specialist e. g. insulin - which also requires monitoring (more vigorously than the one needed by my son) and is prescribed by the GP. Insulin is as potentially dangerous as other medications - it appears to be okay to openly 'opt out' of certain prescribing despite the NICE guidance issued. What is the point of NICE guidance when partnership working is not in practice available to the disabled in the community.

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