MRI scan for claustrophobic patient - how to obtain sedative?

Posted , 2 users are following.

I'm not sure how to resolve this deadlock between the hospital and GP and would like some advice.

My mother has recently been diagnosed with cancer and requires an MRI scan before treatment. Unfortunately she is extremely claustrophobic and cannot cope with the scan without sedation. The hospital has told her to get it, but has said that they cannot provide it themselves and she needs to get the sedative from her GP. The NHS website appears to confirm this.

The problem is that the GP will not provide it. Not for any medical reasons, they simply say that it is not their responsibility / not normal procedure and that it should be provided by the hospital. The hospital insists it is the GP's responsibility and is normal procedure. Each passes the buck to the other and we have been around this loop several times.

Because of this, my mother has already had one appointment where she bravely tried to complete the scan without a sedative, but inevitably was unable to do so. This scan is vitally important but cannot be done without the sedative everybody says is required but nobody will provide. The situation is causing a lot of additional stress and wasting valuable time.

Does anyone know who should be providing the medication in this situation? And how can I convince them to do so?

Thanks in advance for any advice or experience you can offer.

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1 Reply

  • Posted

    Perhaps you could try a private doctor, they are more likely to provide something helpful, but it comes at a higher cost, literally.

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