Procedure for changing GP... Medical records all over the place

miss no stars

So, over the last number of years I've been a 3rd level student in 3 different institutions and have just used the college doctor rather than the family doctor when sick, due to it either being free or considerably cheaper. The upshot is that my medical records with the family GP I saw as a child end at age 17 and the rest of them are distributed between 4 different practices (3 college, 1 local to college when I was so unwell and the doc wasn't in that the receptionist put me in a taxi to a local surgery).

I now want to set myself up with a GP properly (not the same as when I was a child). What should I do about the records?

Truth be told, I know everything that's in them that actually relates to me. The family doctor has a nasty habit of mixing up my mother and I (all records are stored in the one family file) so our records are quite muddled and the stuff in mine doesn't necessarily even pertain to me. As for the stuff in college.. There isn't much of it. Anything that's there I can easily recount and is generally very, very mundane.

What's the normal procedure for changing GPs? While I know I've probably done more doctor-hopping than most, I also know that most students make use of their college health service so I can't be entirely unique.

L1011

Generally you will sign a form letter for your new GP, who will send it (or ask you to send it) to your previous GP - in this case, GPs. All colleges bar one that I'm aware of have computerised records and would have to print them off. Its rare but not unknown for a previous practice to charge for this. Generally, the new practice either scans all the old records into their computer system or stores them as an addendum to a paper file.

I would tell the new GP about the risk of crossed records from your old GP. You may want to decide how pertinant the college records / one-time GP actually are.

Gael23

I suppose it depends if they are really things a new doctor needs to know or not, eg does he really need to know about a simple chest infection you had 5 years ago? Otherwise I would take the last posters advice on what to do.
I've only been in 1 college and luckily only had one occasion to see a doctor there. I just asked for my regular GP to call me, mainly because I wanted his opinion but he then put it on my file with him.

username123

I changed GP a couple of years ago and didn't bother moving medical records. Sure you can tell the doc yourself about anything relevant, allergies or ongoing meds. I haven't had any issues since I moved, sure you could always request the old records if a need arose to get them anyway.

I'd been with my last doc 20 years, the college doc before that, the family doc before that, with a few trips to private out of hours places like vhi swiftcare thrown in, I've never ever moved records.

Gael23

username123 wrote: »

I changed GP a couple of years ago and didn't bother moving medical records. Sure you can tell the doc yourself about anything relevant, allergies or ongoing meds. I haven't had any issues since I moved, sure you could always request the old records if a need arose to get them anyway.

I'd been with my last doc 20 years, the college doc before that, the family doc before that, with a few trips to private out of hours places like vhi swiftcare thrown in, I've never ever moved records.

There is that too. I have some long term conditions myself and I've been thinking when I leave college I don't want to leave his practice altogether. So I'll probably just find a local GP if I'm ever sick and will discuss everything with them rather than moving fully.

username123

ryanf1 wrote: »

There is that too. I have some long term conditions myself and I've been thinking when I leave college I don't want to leave his practice altogether. So I'll probably just find a local GP if I'm ever sick and will discuss everything with them rather than moving fully.

Yeah I've a couple of long term conditions myself, but GP is only a GP. I'd be more inclined to move records between surgeons/consultants, although last time I was going to do that, the new surgeon said not to bother.

Gael23

username123 wrote: »

Yeah I've a couple of long term conditions myself, but GP is only a GP. I'd be more inclined to move records between surgeons/consultants, although last time I was going to do that, the new surgeon said not to bother.

That's true but he gives you time and he really listens to you. For years before I moved to him I was given my prescriptions when I needed them without any questions. But he said I don't want you on that forever so I'm now on a new plan that works great. It still does involve steroids but half as much.
That's just one thing, there's more than that. I trust him a lot and he really cares about me.
I'm happy with the practice too, there's rarely an issue getting an appointment. The one time there was a problem was when I had a bad setback and they managed to fit me in.