GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Nhombokisheni — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 15:54:35 GMT

[quote user="Braden Collins"]

I talked to our registering body and they passed me on to our insurers for advice.

[/quote]

I think herein lies the answer. If this was illegal I believe your body would have informed you....instead the advice is to take action just in case something goes wrong and the client wants to blame you.

Here the RCVS coffee is very clear "19.21 It is illegal, in terms of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, for non-veterinary surgeons, however qualified in the human field, to treat animals....." So they would have taken a very dim view of it.

How about doing a little snooping and find out if this is in fact wide spread....have other vets there faced the same, if so they may give you advice closer to home. The last thing you want to do is set yourself up, when in fact it's all "part of the terrain" and you just didn't know. On the other hand you may get some serious conversation on the subject going amongst vets and all other interested groups which may lead to a long term solution.

Also clients are.......well..clients!!!!!!!!!!they pay our passage in life but sometimes some make sure the ride is not that cosy.

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 13:44:18 GMT

[quote user="Braden Collins"]

Unfortunately I don't know who the gp is, so I can't have a quiet word. I don't want to stir up a hornets nest and have the gp in a world of strife, but equally I cant just turn a blind eye to it.

I talked to our registering body and they passed me on to our insurers for advice.

My preferred approach is to ring the client and sack them, then ask them to pass a gentle message on to their gp with a warning that they could have been in a lot of strife.

[/quote]If you don't know who it is then this is a storm in a teacup. Its all hearsay for now so I would check it with the client first but I would sack the them if they admit it is true or at least give a very stern warning that you will if they do it again and either way tell them of the potential seriousness for the doctor because of his/her actions. I would also put in my contemporaneous notes for future reference that this client has obtained medication this way .

Then I would take off my self righteous hat and ask myself if I've ever taken anything off my shelf for myself or my family or friend and put it in perspective. What goes around comes around. I'm admitting nothing!

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Braden Collins — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 12:30:29 GMT

Unfortunately I don't know who the gp is, so I can't have a quiet word. I don't want to stir up a hornets nest and have the gp in a world of strife, but equally I cant just turn a blind eye to it.

I talked to our registering body and they passed me on to our insurers for advice.

My preferred approach is to ring the client and sack them, then ask them to pass a gentle message on to their gp with a warning that they could have been in a lot of strife.

At the end of the day, if the gp has done it, I'm sure they have at least had good intentions and I don't think they deserve to lose their livelihood over it.

In the past, I may have self medicated, (of course I don't any more) as I'm sure many vets have, so I'm no less deserving of trouble than they are.

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Bob Russell — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 12:18:07 GMT

Any GP should know better than to write prescriptions for animal medication. Getting a human equivalent under the radar would not be that much of a surprise. Cut paw, given a few days of antibiotics, is a not unknown thing but actually writing a prescription is risking serious repercussions.

What is the relationship between the GP and the client? Just sounds very odd indeed!

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Iain Richards — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 11:26:14 GMT

Bad luck Bradley.

a) Tell the client they are dropped if they carry on

b) Sort it out over a couple of beers with the GP

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Dagmar Steele — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 10:37:59 GMT

It pretty much depends on the situation. Do you know that particular GP? Does your wife? What exactly could happen in terms of nasty if you'd report them? What kind of medication did they write a prescription for and had you prescribed it beforehand? In what relationship does the client stand to the GP? I know all of these questions are legally irrelevant, but they would have an effect on how I'd handle this. If you are convinced the GP really did this I'd ring them and have a word with them. Depending on how they react I'd take it from there. If they see the light and give an understandable reason for their actions (relative talked them into it, emergency situation) plus accept they've done wrong I'd maybe leave it at that for the moment. If they agree not to do it again of course. If they are stubborn or arrogant I'd report them afterwards, but I'd also make sure my wife is ok with it.

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 09:44:35 GMT

If the law is the same in Australia as it is here, then it's a criminal offence, so contact the police.

Wynne

RE: GP writing a prescription for on of my patients.

Bob Russell — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 09:29:02 GMT

I would double and treble check your facts before doing anything!

If you have proof that an illegal prescription has been issued (assuming the rules are similar to the UK) then you do need to take action.

I would write to the GP and include the question 'how would you view me if I wrote a prescription for one of your patients?'

If he or she is willing to do this, what else are they willing to do?