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Declined Prescriptions

J

jamesfitz

Well-Known Member
Messages
131
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Anyone else sick of their local surgery declining prescriptions for diabetes.

I only request 100 needles / test strips every 2 weeks yet i constantly have to ring and complain to get them processed.

How they can decline prescriptions for diabetes I will never know.
 
You need to make an appointment to see the practice manager. I had to do this when a locum did not sign off my insulin prescription.
 
Are they getting declined or are they slow in being processed.
If the latter, I found a strongly worded letter to the practice manager very helpful.
If the latter, I found a strongly worded letter from my hospital-base diabetes team very helpful.
 
Hi. Yes, your surgery should honour your prescription needs but can I throw in an oddball. Diabetes stuff costs the NHS a fortune and as a result I use only one needle per day. There is zero risk of infection if you replace the needle cap after use. Some people suffer bruising etc with needle re-use but I'm lucky as I don't. It's something to consider as it does help with NHS costs? Your choice of course.
 
Agree with Helen, write a letter of complaint to the practice manager, call your surgery and find out their name and clearly state your point, it should resolve this.
 
I think I'm really lucky with my health centre @jamesfitz I've never had a prescription declined. If my maths is correct, your usage isn't excessive about 7 a day on average. I certainly wouldn't start reusing a needle ever.
 

Does it help with NHS costs if it results in knackered injection sites? I've had a lot of medical people tell me not to reuse.

(Though I was an avid needle-reuser till they changed them to ones without the little cap. Mostly because I was diagnosed when needles weren't prescribed, so had to pay for my own and got into the habit. Needle brands defintely also vary in how they cope with multiple use.)
 

Do not reuse needles to save money. No medical professional would recommend that. The health area I live in decided to change everyone's needles to ones without sheaths, so they couldn't be reused.

Also the cost of treating diabetes complications is far far far higher than the cost of diabetes medication. It's a false economy to save money on prescriptions that are part of managing diabetes.
 

I would say absolutely not on this. My consultant says no which is good enough for me. Resulting problems cost the NHS far more.
 
Well, I got the response I expected with regard to needle re-use and people should rightly make their own decisions, but don't forget that NHS staff such as consultants etc aren't directly accountable for costs (surgeries typically are via their CCG) which is one of many reasons the NHS is in a financial mess. I worry more about those diagnosed as T2 as and told they don't need to have meter and then end up in A&E with DKA as wrongly diagnosed T1s.
 

I understand that your suggestion was made with the best of intentions. The only problem is that there is no guarantee that any money saved from using just one needle a day would be spent in a more useful way.

There isn't a ring fenced diabetes budget, that means the less spent on one thing, the more will be spent on something better, any savings could be used for something completely different.
 
The prescriptions get declined, I request them via the online service.

I then rerequest them and in the comments section let them know how annoyed i am.

I think i will visit the surgery and hand a letter in.
 
jamesfitz said:
The prescriptions get declined, I request them via the online service.

I then rerequest them and in the comments section let them know how annoyed i am.

I think i will visit the surgery and hand a letter in.
Click to expand...

Hello,

Just a thought.
Could it be the frequency of the prescribed order that is "flagging up" slowing the process & getting declined?
Possibly see your GP, request double amount on the needles with a clear outline on what you use a month to order & pick up less frequently?
 
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