Category: January

After careful consideration the practice has decided to no longer prescribe diazepam for patients having MRI scans or other investigative procedures. We have a duty of care to provide safe, consistent, and appropriate care for our patients.

Please see the reasons outlined below to explain our concerns.

1. Small doses of diazepam may be sub-therapeutic for most adults for any effective sedation. Although diazepam makes most people who take it sleepy, in some rare situations it can have the opposite effect and make people aggressive or agitated. This may result in your procedure being delayed.
2. A patient may take a sedative an hour before their assumed procedure, to then attend the hospital and find that the procedure has been delayed, therefore the timing of the anxiolytic being sub optimal.
3. GP’s are not regularly involved, skilled, or trained to provide the correct level of sedation for a procedure/scan.
4. It is the responsibility of the hospital consultants/doctor requesting the imaging to prescribe medication if they deem necessary. They can do this through the hospital pharmacy or organising a prescription themselves.
5. Sedated patients should be monitored regularly for any adverse effects of the medication.
6. The Royal College of Radiologists’ own guidelines on sedation for imaging makes no mention of GP involvement or provision of low dose anxiolytics and stresses the importance of experienced well-trained staff involved and the monitoring of sedated patients.

We would be grateful if you could discuss this with the relevant specialist who has requested this, and to prescribe as they see fit.

Thank you,

The Partners at Swallownest Health Centre

January 2024

Looking to try something new for 2024? Aston Chasers’ new couch to 5km course starts Tuesday 9th January!

If you know anyone that might be interested* in starting running or getting back into it with an awesomely supportive and encouraging group of ladies, please share!

We run from the lower car park of Swallownest Health Centre at 19:00. The course lasts for 8 weeks and the cost is £25, which includes an Aston Chasers club vest upon graduating.

You couldn’t be in better hands!

https://groups.runtogether.co.uk/.../8f026786-be47-40d2...

*Sign up spaces at the moment are for FIRST-TIMERS ONLY. We would encourage anyone interested who has taken part in the Chasers couch course in the past to message us and be added to a reserves list. Once we’ve given first-timers a chance to sign up, we will then allocate any additional spaces to people on the reserves list on a first come, first served basis.

Please find below a list of pharmacy sites who are continuing to offer covid vaccines post 15/12/2023 within our area.