New Freestyle Flash monitor.

[Spiker]

Here's a stab:

My average BG is 3mmol/L lower on CGM than on pump alone.

Libre is CGM-Lite at the same running cost as X test strips a day

X being ??

 

[donnellysdogs]

How much does 1 accuchek aviva bloodstrip work out to cost the nhs. I get 300 strips for 28days. So I can work the rest out...

 

[jackois]

It seems to be £14.50 for 50 ( http://mm.wirral.nhs.uk/document_uploads/newsletters/DRUGOFTHEMONTHBloodglucosemetersvo.pdf ) which puts you on around £92 a month.

 

[CarbsRok]

As the libre isn't acceptable to the DVLA for blood testing results, how often would that leave people needing to test so that they comply with the DVLA rule?

 

[donnellysdogs]

Did you base that on my prescription being every 28 days?

I'm going to think on this letter...some CCG's have a research and development department where they actively want to hear from Patients what they want researched to aid the wellbeing of Patients....its not research into medicines.. Our CCG is also looking at setting up its own diabetic voluntary group which will have paid members too... So could be a few lines of progressing with our CCG that hasn't funded CGM's.
Need to email my consultant too I think to hear her opinion.

If people want funding and their CCG's are backward, then Patients have to stand up and make themselves heard.

I wonder if local news would be interested in a story like this too.. "Diabetic Patients having to self fund for revolutionary new equipment that could improve their lives so dramatically."

Loads of things that could be done... Writing to the health secretary... Loads!!

Something else to think about.. Need to know it really is excellent as my past xperience that you will all know with Abbott Navigator was dire...

 

[noblehead]

As the libre isn't acceptable to the DVLA for blood testing results, how often would that leave people needing to test so that they comply with the DVLA rule?

This is the thing, if funding was made available for the flash monitor sensors then I'd be happy to self-fund for test strips for driving and such, but appreciate this would be difficult for some people.

 

[ConradJ]

It seems to be £14.50 for 50 ( http://mm.wirral.nhs.uk/document_uploads/newsletters/DRUGOFTHEMONTHBloodglucosemetersvo.pdf ) which puts you on around £92 a month.

How do I go about getting the same info for my area (Aylesbury Vale CCG / Bucks Healthcare)?

 

[ConradJ]

Did you base that on my prescription being every 28 days?

I'm going to think on this letter...some CCG's have a research and development department where they actively want to hear from Patients what they want researched to aid the wellbeing of Patients....its not research into medicines.. Our CCG is also looking at setting up its own diabetic voluntary group which will have paid members too... So could be a few lines of progressing with our CCG that hasn't funded CGM's.
Need to email my consultant too I think to hear her opinion.

If people want funding and their CCG's are backward, then Patients have to stand up and make themselves heard.

I wonder if local news would be interested in a story like this too.. "Diabetic Patients having to self fund for revolutionary new equipment that could improve their lives so dramatically."

Loads of things that could be done... Writing to the health secretary... Loads!!

Something else to think about.. Need to know it really is excellent as my past xperience that you will all know with Abbott Navigator was dire...

We're almost in the same territory as when I was a teenager (when the NHS gave free disposable syringes to drug users to prevent spread of disease, whilst poor old T1's were forced to pay for them)!

 

[ConradJ]

Letters going direct to the CCG Managers with good reasoning for funding are more likely to improve our chances of this being available as a funded product.

Is anybody a good letter writer to set us up a template to use?

I put myself forward, but will need a couple of days owing to current demands on time.

 

[ConradJ]

I did ask Abbott when they will start selling the meter's. They said soon. They are in the process of training people on how the system works.

Is it trade secret? Do you have a contact there or just via their advertised methods?

P.s. Are Dr Feher and Munro still at C&W?

 

[donnellysdogs]

Thanks Conradj. I also remember those days of druggies getting free scripts n us still paying.

I too would trade a partial funding from nhs, trouble is, it doesn't work like that.. Its all or nothing.

Good news if a template could be made and it could be used on individual basis. I have a Secretary with my PPG thankfully because of literacy skills!!

Theres more than one way to skin a cat!

 

[Spiker]

@donnellysdogs, is there any way a CCG could say to its diabetics "ok your budget for glucose monitoring is X per year, spend it how you like, if you are going to go over though we will limit you" ?

 

[phoenix]

If you are looking for the evidenced benefits, such as they are with 'conventional' CGM. The ADA has just released it's first guidelines for T1 and has a section evaluating the evidence for the use of CGM
Overall there is a very modest decrease in HbA1c, they are good for people with hypo unawareness good for children with 'large glycemic excursions. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2014/06/09/dc14-1140.full.pdf html
The same paper also says that, regardless of age some individuals may require 10 or more strips a day and people should have unimpeded access to them. I would think that anyone needing 10+ strips a day would be a prime candidate for this . For this set of people it would be both cheaper and probably, if it really works reliably, more effective.

On the other hand I mentioned it to my doctor .She hadn't heard of it so we spent some time looking it up on her computer. She was very interested but quite reasonably asked did I really need one since I already had good control? I think she's right and certainly at a time of limited resources I wouldn't expect any health authority to fund one for me at the moment.
For others with more labile diabetes they could be invaluable.

 

[Flowerpot]

I really do hope CCGs are able to consider funding for this method of monitoring but it is going to require a siesmic shift to start to change the current spending on diabetes from approximately one fifth of the budget on treatments/four fifths on complications.There needs to be some long term vision for investment in new monitoring methods rather than arguing over whether we can have 50 or 100 strips per week.

Providing the Flash system is accurate, it is going to help massively to see the bigger picture of glucose levels rather than 5 or 6 snapshots per day. I realise a lot of people can achieve good control using conventional fingerstick glucose tests but my experience of CGM providing the whole picture has opened my eyes so much to issues I wasn't aware of and greatly improved my HbA1c. I hope CCGs are open to considering this as a future method of glucose management providing it does reduce strip usage and does start to give good long term results.

 

[donnellysdogs]

@donnellysdogs, is there any way a CCG could say to its diabetics "ok your budget for glucose monitoring is X per year, spend it how you like, if you are going to go over though we will limit you" ?

I will find out... Good point Spiker.....

 

[hale710]

You know that seen in the original willy wonka where veruca salt sings a song about wanting things. That how I feel about the libre at the moment.

"Don't care how. I want it NOOOOOOOOOW!"

 

[Omnipod]

Is it trade secret? Do you have a contact there or just via their advertised methods?

P.s. Are Dr Feher and Munro still at C&W?

I have a contact at abbott.

Yes, both Dr Munro and Feher are still at C&W. they are both the best doctors ever

 

[daniT1D]

When they say it's available once they have trained the HCP's does this mean we'll have to be 'approved' to make the purchase?


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[smidge]

I've been reading on a blog that you get no access to the raw data from the libre, so you can't feed it into your spreadsheet and analyse it. You only get the graphs and reports that come with it and these have been developed based on what HCPs want to see. Anyone got any more information on this? What are the reports like? I was quite disappointed to read that as it might make it less useful.

Smidge

 

[Spiker]

I've been reading on a blog that you get no access to the raw data from the libre, so you can't feed it into your spreadsheet and analyse it. You only get the graphs and reports that come with it and these have been developed based on what HCPs want to see. Anyone got any more information on this? What are the reports like? I was quite disappointed to read that as it might make it less useful.

Smidge

That sounds ****, frankly. :-(
Like needing an HCP code to unlock the bolus wizard on meters, only much worse.

Who decided it was a good idea to hide data from patients, or throw good data away? That's really upsetting.