Your Diabetic Check Is Now Due - Is This More Cutbacks?

Eurobuff

Well-Known Member
Messages
356
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi I've just received a letter from my GP telling me my diabetic check is now due. I was diagnosed May of last year, so only had one review so far. At the bottom of the letter it says "If however you do not feel you require a review at this time please contact the surgery and we can input this into your records." Is this more cutbacks, trying to make us feel guilty at having these checks? Is this just my surgery? Am I getting paranoid?
 

smigger62

Well-Known Member
Messages
99
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Not having food and beer
Are you signed in with a diabetic clinic?
 

Eurobuff

Well-Known Member
Messages
356
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Are you signed in with a diabetic clinic?

No, just my doctor's surgery. They used to have a diabetic clinic in our hospital years ago, but now you only get referred there if your BG is out of control and the DN or GP can't help.
 

smigger62

Well-Known Member
Messages
99
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Not having food and beer
I would defo go back for another sugar test..
 

smigger62

Well-Known Member
Messages
99
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Not having food and beer
Dont feel.gyilty..you need hkm/her to test and find out what your bs BG levels are
 

4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dont feel guilty, I dont wait for my GP to send me out a letter I just ring them up every 6 months and book myself in to see the nurse to get my bloods done.
 
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Eurobuff

Well-Known Member
Messages
356
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dont feel guilty, I dont wait for my GP to send me out a letter I just ring them up every 6 months and book myself in to see the nurse to get my bloods done.

I don't feel guilty, but I wonder if others will. My mother is diabetic (has been for 13 years), she tried ringing once when it had been a while since she'd had a letter. She was told she had to wait for the letter.
 

4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Well that was just plain rude I know what I would have said to them.
 

lizdeluz

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,306
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Your GP's letter was reminding you of the need for a check-up so that is good. The sentence at the end might just reflect that too many patients haven't turned up for their appointments! It could have been expressed more clearly, maybe! :rolleyes:
 

Eurobuff

Well-Known Member
Messages
356
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Your GP's letter was reminding you of the need for a check-up so that is good. The sentence at the end might just reflect that too many patients haven't turned up for their appointments! It could have been expressed more clearly, maybe! :rolleyes:

Hmm, If the letter had an appointment already made in it, then I would agree, but the letter is asking me to ring and make an appointment?? So I'm not so sure.
 

dancer

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,360
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I get the same thing in my asthma review letter. If you refuse an appointment they mark it in their record to keep themselves right. They don't want patients to come back and take legal proceedings against them.
 

Ruth B

Well-Known Member
Messages
447
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I think I am fortunate that I just get a letter saying I have an appointment on a certain day and that I need to make an appointment for the blood test about a week before. If I can't attend they ask me to call them to change the appointment. They even phone me a day or two before the appointment to remind me to go.

I can imagine that the message could put people off and make some feel guilty about going (if anyone who does feel guilty about going to these check up is reading this just think how much more it will cost them if the condition becomes uncontrolled and you end up with complications), however if they just keep sending these reminders out every month or so until the person makes an appointment it could cost them a lot of money (have you seen how much a stamp costs these days), better to know that the person feels they have their condition under control and don't want to see anyone.

Missed appointments cost even more if the patient just doesn't turn up. Some hospitals find it is even cost effective to employ someone just to phone people to make sure they know they have an appointment the next day and make sure they can attend. If any do say they can't make it, it gives the hospital a chance to fill the slot. It's surprising how many people are willing to drop everything when the hospital rings to say 'a slot is available tomorrow could you come for that one instead of the one you have booked in two weeks time'.
 

rowan

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,462
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I think if it was recommended for T2 to self-test, and testing strips were readily available on prescription, then giving patients who know they are doing well the choice to miss a blood test at the doctors would be fine.
But it's possible to have very high BG but still feel ok - when my BG was hovering around 30 I didn't realise as I put any symptoms down to other health conditions. I didn't bother with testing myself or going to the surgery for A1C test, and for people like that it can be very dangerous to be given the choice of missing out on diabetic clinic appointments.

I was lucky that a routine hospital appointment for something else in January threw up some very worrying blood test results and that got the ball rolling, and I've been told I probably wouldn't be here now if hadn't turned up for more tests and sorting out my diabetes! Actually, that's probably why they wouldn't let me go home that day and kept me in overnight!

SO anyway, I think it's disgraceful to put the choice onto patients who might not see any need for regular clinic appointments and who could be in danger like I was, they should be encouraging regular clinic attendance, especally to those they tell not to self-test!
 
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Eurobuff

Well-Known Member
Messages
356
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
The way I look at it is the DN's & GP's say there's no need for type 2's to test (and therefore won't prescribe the test strips) as you get checked at your review. If they are then trying to get out of giving you the review then that means you're not getting checked at all. It seems we are too much of a drain on the system. I don't know why they just don't give us all a lethal injection and have done with it.
 
C

catherinecherub

Guest
There is no conspiracy or anything else going on with this letter. It is standard practice in most surgeries to invite people for a review and also make sure that they are going to come in. They are not suggesting there is no need for it.

I have to sign and send part of the letter back if I do not want to attend. People on this forum are proactive but there are a lot of diabetics who don't bother to manage their diabetes or get their yearly checks, (the minimum required). They probably throw these letters in the bin.
 
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Supermario46

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I was diagnosed in March 2014(lovely birthday present),I get reviewed every 3 months at the moment and my DN makes sure I have appointments for blood tests and next review before I leave the surgery. Obviously some clinics are better than others,but if YOUR not getting the care YOU believe YOU SHOULD be getting,TELL THEM. If you don't tell them they are doing it wrong,how are they going to know.
 

honey badger

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My review is triggered by my repeat prescription,it has so many repeats
left printed on it,when it gets to the last one they tell you when picking up prescription, to make an appointment before my next prescription is due.
 

etmsreec

Well-Known Member
Messages
109
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I wouldn't have said it was more cutbacks, just good time management on the surgery's part.
I'm registered with a GP, but also under the care of a hospital diabetologist. As I'm Type 1, the diabetologist is much better equipped than my surgery to care for me and my diabetes, as the surgery may only have a handful of Type 1s and hundreds of Type 2s.
The GP will also get paid for certain tests and checks, such as micro albumin and possibly HbA1C. The former is useful for me and should be done at least once every 12 months (NIHCE guidelines), whereas the latter - although expected on a regular basis - is useless on me (always gives a false low reading.) So, the GP would be further out of his depth on that.
So, as I say, good time management and picking up the patients that need/want the care from the GP. That's just a personal viewpoint though.
 

rosserk

Well-Known Member
Messages
288
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I get regular letters to attend the Asthma Clinic it states on the letter if I don't attend for a review I will not get a repeat perscription of my inhalers. So I have to go and I hate it! The nurse at my surgery is horrible
 
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