We are unable to prescribe sedatives, such as diazepam, for any procedure or scan being undertaken outside of East Shore Partnership, this includes MRI scans and dental procedures.
If you feel you need sedation in such circumstances, please speak to the team undertaking the procedure or scan, as they are responsible for providing this if needed.
Sedatives are medicines which make patients sleepy and relaxed. There are several reasons why healthcare practitioners at East Shore Partnership do not prescribe these medicines for procedures outside of our practice:
· GPs are not trained to provide the correct level of sedation for a procedure / scan. Providing too little sedation won’t help you, providing too much sedation can make you too sleepy, which could lead to the procedure being cancelled. Too much sedation can dangerously affect your breathing. After taking a sedative for a procedure or scan, you will need to be closely monitored to keep you safe.
· Although diazepam makes most people who take it sleepy, in some rare situations it can have an opposite effect and make people aggressive or agitated.
· Scans and hospital procedures are often delayed, therefore the team performing the procedure or scan should provide the sedation, to ensure you become sleepy and relaxed at the right time.
· 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 and further information can be found below.
Feel free to show this policy to your hospital team or dentist.
Sedation, analgesia and anaesthesia in the radiology department – Royal College of Radiologists