Victoria Medical Centre does not prescribe sedative medication for patients attending MRI scans or other hospital based investigations. This is a practice wide policy agreed by all of our GP partners and followed by every prescriber.
We understand that some patients feel anxious about scans or procedures, and we want to explain why sedation is managed by the hospital team rather than by the GP practice:
- Low doses may not work as intended: Small doses of medications such as diazepam often do not provide effective sedation for adults. In some people, these medicines can have unpredictable effects and may even increase anxiety or agitation rather than relieve it.
- Timing is difficult to control: If medication is taken before arriving at hospital and the appointment is delayed, it may no longer work at the correct time or its effects may wear off too early.
- Hospital teams can safely provide sedation: Hospital doctors have the same prescribing abilities as GPs and are best placed to assess whether sedation is needed and to provide it on site. They can also supervise patients properly while the medication is working.
- Patient safety: Anyone who receives sedatives should be monitored closely. There have been cases where patients were not monitored after being given sedatives outside hospital settings and experienced difficulties during scans.
- National guidance: Guidelines from the Royal College of Radiologists support sedation being managed by trained hospital staff with appropriate monitoring, rather than by GP prescribing before attendance.
If you are worried about managing your scan or procedure, please let the hospital team know directly, they can discuss safe options with you and provide appropriate support on the day.