We are often asked to prescribe sedative drugs, such as Diazepam, for fear of flying. Stapenhill Medical Centre does not prescribe such sedatives for fear of flying. This policy decision has been made by the GP Partners and is adhered to by all prescribers working in the practice. There are several good reasons why prescribing of drugs such as Diazepam is not safe or recommended.

In the UK Diazepam is a controlled drug. The prescribing guidelines doctors must follow say that to treat short term ‘mild’ anxiety is inappropriate. They are only to be used short term for a ‘crisis in generalised anxiety’. But if you are having such a crisis, you are not likely to be fit to fly. Fear of flying in isolation is not a generalised anxiety disorder.

Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and slows your reaction times. If there is an emergency during the flight it may affect your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences not only for you but for others.

Taking Diazepam may also make you agitated and aggressive. These medicines can also cause disinhibition and lead to abnormal behaviours. This could not only affect your safety but also the safety of other passengers.

The sedative effects of these drugs can affect breathing and cause low oxygen levels, which could be life threatening, especially with the lower circulating oxygen levels on an aeroplane, in people with breathing problems or when combined with alcohol.

Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep; however, this is not a natural sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep, and this can increase your risk of developing a blood clot in your leg or lung. Blood clots are dangerous and can be fatal.

We recognise that fear of flying is real and frightening, and we don’t underestimate the impact it can have. We recommend tackling this properly by using self-help resources or considering one of the ‘Fear of Flying’ course run by many airlines. We do not recommend any specific course, but you may find the following links useful.

We are often asked to prescribe sedative drugs, such as Diazepam, for procedures such as MRI scans or dental procedures. Stapenhill Medical Centre does not prescribe such sedatives for this reason. This policy decision has been made by the GP Partners and is adhered to by all prescribers working in the practice. There are several good reasons why prescribing of drugs such as Diazepam is not safe or recommended.

Sedatives are medicines which make patients sleepy and relaxed. 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.

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.

Further information can be found by following this links –

For more information, please see the following patient information leaflet published by the Royal College of Anaesthetists

Sedation, analgesia and anaesthesia in the radiology department – Royal College of Radiologists

Safe Sedation Practice for Healthcare Professionals: Standards and Guidance – Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

Due to increased waiting times for outpatient appointments, GPs have seen a rise in patient requests to “expedite” their appointments. We urge all of our patients awaiting hospital appointments to be patient and wait to be contacted. If you are waiting for your first appointment with a consultant and have not heard for a long time, please contact the outpatient department at the hospital you have been referred to for an update.

Patients are often requested by the Hospital to obtain a letter from the GP so their appointment can be expedited. Please note that simply waiting a longer time than you would wish does not make your request urgent.  If you are experiencing worsening of your symptoms, we advise you to contact your specialist directly so they can assess your condition and make the necessary arrangements if an expedite of your appointment is appropriate. If you have difficulty in accessing your consultant, we advise you to contact PALS for assistance.

If the hospital are insistent they require a letter, we have created this Expedite Template for you complete. Simply download the template and complete your details along with any relevant information in the yellow highlighted sections.

Once you have completed this, either print it off and bring it to the surgery or email it to stapenhill.medical@nhs.net FAO practice secretary, and we will send it to the relevant department. Please ensure all the details are completed as we will not add any further information.

If your appointment is delayed and you need an update, please ring the secretary of the hospital consultant that you are under directly for this information. We do not have any access to hospital waiting times or details of any upcoming clinic dates.

Our Doctors are frequently asked to provide private or letters or reports for third parties. The cost of these letters or reports is not covered by the NHS and the doctor must complete them during their own time as such there is a fee payable. All letters require the doctor to take time to review a patient’s medical record to ensure that the information provided is correct. The fee for any private work must be paid in advance.

Please see the list of Non-NHS fees attached below.

Private letters DO NOT prioritise NHS work and may take some time to prepare. Please allow at least 4 weeks. In genuinely urgent cases, we will do our best to meet your deadline; however, we cannot guarantee this. You will be contacted by a member of our team when your document is ready. Please do not contact the practice within this time period unless you are providing additional information that is relevant to your request.

Please note, GPs do not counter-sign passport applications nor do they provide letters to confirm address or residency as we have no means of verifying this information. Please see the list of fees to see if what you require is on there.

DO NOT BOOK AN APPOINTMENT with your doctor to request a private letter or report. Your request will not be taken or actioned by the clinician. To request a private letter or report, you must complete our Private Letter Request form, or you can collect a copy from the reception desk. All the information needed for the GP to complete the work must be included on the request form. The GP will then check your medical record to ensure all information provided is factual.

Please bring the completed request form to the reception desk with the fee required. You can email the completed form to stapenhill.medical@nhs.net, however the request will not be actioned until you have come to the surgery and paid the fee. We accept cash or cheque payment. You will be given a receipt and your request will be passed onto the GP to complete. You will be contacted when it is ready to collect so please ensure your contact details are correct and up to date. If the GP cannot complete the request for any reason, the fee will be refunded. Once the letter is completed, any amendments will incur a further charge of £15.

Going abroad? It is important to be adequately protected. We give up-to-date information on malaria prevention, immunisations and other information to help your family enjoy their holiday. We can prescribe and administer your injections.  We need a MINIMUM of 8 weeks notice to process the requests.

Our practice nurse will then check your records and we will contact you and arrange your appointment if any vaccinations are required.

You can also click here to find more information on immunisations needed and general advice.