Sedation for Medical Procedures, Scans & Dental Appointments Policy

Policy

Holland House Surgery does not prescribe sedatives such as Diazepam for medical procedures, scans or dental appointments.

This is a practice policy which has been updated following available guidance and agreed by all GP partners. It is adhered to by all prescribers in the practice.

This is due to a number of reasons, which are outlined below:

• GPs are not regularly involved, skilled, trained or appraised in sedation skills. As a result, GPs are not trained to provide the correct level of sedation for procedures or scans. Providing too little sedation won’t relax/sedate you but providing too much sedation can make you too drowsy/sleepy, which could lead to the procedure or scan being cancelled.
• After taking sedation, you will need to be closely monitored to keep you safe. This responsibility lies with the person prescribing the sedation, so they need to be present before, during and after the procedure/scan.
• Hospital procedures and scans can be delayed, therefore the team performing the procedure or scan should provide the sedation, to ensure you become sleepy and relaxed at the right time.
• All hospital consultants, including those requesting and carrying out scans/procedures have access to the same prescribing facilities as GPs. If a patient needs sedation to enable a scan or procedure to go ahead, they are just as well positioned to provide a prescription.
• Similarly, for any dental procedures, it is the responsibility of the dentist to prescribe any sedation they think you might need.
• The Royal College of Radiologists‘ own guidelines on sedation for procedures/scans does not mention GP involvement and stresses the importance of experienced, appropriately trained staff administering and monitoring sedated patients. This guidance can be found here.

We understand that hospital procedures, scans and dental appointments can make you feel frightened, anxious or claustrophobic but unfortunately, for the reasons outlined above, the responsibility to provide sedation does not lie with the GP. Please contact the department who requested the medical procedure or scan, the Radiology department or your dentist to discuss your options.