Diabetes Clinic waiting list

Hi the department of health GP-specialist waiting time is currently 18 weeks. I am not sure if the diabetes nice guideline has a specialist review pathway but may be worth a look. Could you perhaps speak to your practice nurse in the mean time ? most practice nurses have a wealth of knowledge on diabetes.

We don't have an endo consultant in our local district hospital one comes 1 day a week from the next nearest hospital and from what I understand if you need admission you are 50 miles from here!


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Hi. It's not clear from your post whether your GP surgery, although it presumably diagnosed you doesn't, have any diabetes doctors or nurses there? May be you could insist that your local GP or nurse takes some interim steps before you see an endo. Are you now following a low-carb diet to help? The surgery could do an HBa1C test anyway and if necessary prescribe Metformin etc? If your diabetes is in early stages then having a low-carb diet whilst waiting may be frustrating but not harmful as many of us are put on a diet for 3 months before an HBa1c blood test and any meds are given. Do get hold of a meter whilst waiting so you can monitor your blood sugar and the effects of foods.

Hi mickthered and welcome to the forum.

To be honest it is extremely unusual for a T2 on oral meds to be referred to a specialist diabetic unit, most T2's will only ever see a practice nurse at their local GP surgery who usually run what is called their Diabetes clinic, this nurse will usually also deal with the respiratory clinic looking after asthmatics and also any other special clinics the GP surgery operates. Their specialist knowledge is not very good in many cases, I had my care transferred to my local GP's clinic when I was on insulin and when I asked the "diabetes nurse" a question she said "sorry but I dont know much about insulin"!! She also tests my lung function twice a year at the respiratory clinic. She is very nice but has not got the qualifications of an endo or a respiratory consultant.

So you should consider yourself very lucky indeed to be referred at all :clap: