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Forced to change to Omnitest 3 Meter

laharvey999 said:
I feel as long as keep as healthy as I possibly can, it really does not matter which meter I use.
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This is my attitude to it all........of course I haven't had any restrictions placed on me due to the pump etc but most meters these days will do the job perfectly...

;)
 
I have a codefree and it's perfect. So long as it gives u your bg result I don't think it matters which one it is.
 
jameshallam said:
Hi all,

I went to see my surgery today to get my repeat prescription and they informed my they cannot issue my current prescription of bayer contour test strips as they are enforcing a meter change, they gave me a letter (summerized here)



Now, I fall into the first category as I am a type 1 and test between 5-10 times a day depending on eating, exercise and driving etc. I also have around 5-6 Contour meters in various places (bag, car, work, bedroom, spare etc.) and have a repeat prescription of 300 strips.

The initial change to my repeat was to remove the 300 bayer strips and replace it with 50 Omnitest 3 strips!

The nurse I saw gave me one more prescription of bayer test strips (because the new meters were not available yet), and I have to go back in a months time (I cannot make the date of the clinic) to pick up my new meter and change my prescription. Apparently this is a change that has been enforced by the local PCT and isn't a decision made at the surgury. It sounds like a cost cutting measure as apparently the meters are more expensive but the strips are cheaper...

Has anyone else had something similar happen in their area (I live in SE London)?
Does anyone know my rights as a patient here? I am quite happy with my current set up and don't really want to change over! If I were given one meter, what would I do if it were to break or I lost it?
Does anyone have an Omnitest 3 meter - what is it like to use? I quite like the Contour meter because it is very easy to use, the test strips are not to small or large, it is small and doesn't look ugly!

Cheers all,
James
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I to have been forced to change from my meter to a new one and the manafacturer of my old meter has sent me a brand new one still in box with test strips its a abbot freedom free now to any one who wants to pay postage for it .Just in case there is someone out there with out acess to a meter vangellis0
 
I used a Braun Omnitest 3 at one time, however I travel frequently on business, and discovered that many countries did not stock the test strips. One Touch seems to be the best in that regard. Accu-chek sells different models in different countries, requiring different test strips.
 
skyking said:
Beware this is not the same Braun who make many domestic appliances etc.
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Like others I have been forced to change from a Contour Next USB to the Omnitest 3. As well as the standard policy decision comment the doctor involved also stated that there were accuracy issues with the Contour Next. Is anybody else aware of this or is he just hiding behind a convenient excuse.
 
If this happened to me I would simply get my own test strips as when it comes to my health I won't penny pinch
 
jameshallam said:
Hi all,

I went to see my surgery today to get my repeat prescription and they informed my they cannot issue my current prescription of bayer contour test strips as they are enforcing a meter change, they gave me a letter (summerized here)



Now, I fall into the first category as I am a type 1 and test between 5-10 times a day depending on eating, exercise and driving etc. I also have around 5-6 Contour meters in various places (bag, car, work, bedroom, spare etc.) and have a repeat prescription of 300 strips.

The initial change to my repeat was to remove the 300 bayer strips and replace it with 50 Omnitest 3 strips!

The nurse I saw gave me one more prescription of bayer test strips (because the new meters were not available yet), and I have to go back in a months time (I cannot make the date of the clinic) to pick up my new meter and change my prescription. Apparently this is a change that has been enforced by the local PCT and isn't a decision made at the surgury. It sounds like a cost cutting measure as apparently the meters are more expensive but the strips are cheaper...

Has anyone else had something similar happen in their area (I live in SE London)?
Does anyone know my rights as a patient here? I am quite happy with my current set up and don't really want to change over! If I were given one meter, what would I do if it were to break or I lost it?
Does anyone have an Omnitest 3 meter - what is it like to use? I quite like the Contour meter because it is very easy to use, the test strips are not to small or large, it is small and doesn't look ugly!

Cheers all,
James
Click to expand...
My test strips were reduced some years ago from 200 to 50. As at that time I was a HGV driver and needed to test on a very regular basis as I was on medication that made me susceptible to hypos. I contacted the PCT who increased the test strips to 150 a month.
 
I was changed to a Nexus Gluco RX along with all the diabetics at our surgery. There was no difference in results after comparing with my old one & it was no harder to use.

When I checked my repeat prescription settings, the test strip amount had been reduced to 50 at a time. It turned out that the prescriptions were all updated by an IT type and they had been told that 50 strips were a normal prescription. The receptionist sorted it when I popped in to query it after a word with the practice manager.
 
jameshallam said:
Hi all,

I went to see my surgery today to get my repeat prescription and they informed my they cannot issue my current prescription of bayer contour test strips as they are enforcing a meter change, they gave me a letter (summerized here)



Now, I fall into the first category as I am a type 1 and test between 5-10 times a day depending on eating, exercise and driving etc. I also have around 5-6 Contour meters in various places (bag, car, work, bedroom, spare etc.) and have a repeat prescription of 300 strips.

The initial change to my repeat was to remove the 300 bayer strips and replace it with 50 Omnitest 3 strips!

The nurse I saw gave me one more prescription of bayer test strips (because the new meters were not available yet), and I have to go back in a months time (I cannot make the date of the clinic) to pick up my new meter and change my prescription. Apparently this is a change that has been enforced by the local PCT and isn't a decision made at the surgury. It sounds like a cost cutting measure as apparently the meters are more expensive but the strips are cheaper...

Has anyone else had something similar happen in their area (I live in SE London)?
Does anyone know my rights as a patient here? I am quite happy with my current set up and don't really want to change over! If I were given one meter, what would I do if it were to break or I lost it?
Does anyone have an Omnitest 3 meter - what is it like to use? I quite like the Contour meter because it is very easy to use, the test strips are not to small or large, it is small and doesn't look ugly!

Cheers all,
James
Click to expand...

Hi Everybody- THIS IS ALL A BIG CON BY THE DOCTORS SURGERYS ANF EVEN THE CGG's IN YOUR AREA. Exactly the same thing happened to me on receipt of an unsigned letter from the surgery which looks on the face of it that you have no choice but to change to a meter of their choice.
You do not have to let this happen if you don't want.
All you need to do is to write a letter or email to your doctors surgery saying
1. You don't want to change your meter and test strips

2. State that you have a FREEDOM OF CHOICE AS TO WHAT METER AND STRIPS YOU USE UNDER THE NHS AND THAT THEY WOULD BE DENYING THIS FREEDOM OF CHOICE BY MAKING YOU CHANGE TO SOMETHING ELSE. The words " freedom of choice " are important here.

3. That you are exercising this freedom of choice by keeping with your existing meter.

4. Say thanks for their kind offer but no thanks.

5. Ask that they will kindly confirm that you will be able to receive your repeat prescription as normal.

A letter roughly based on the above got an immediate positive response!
What they are hoping for is that 90% odd fall for their original request to change to a different meter.
As a Type 1er of many many years I wasn't going to allow my trusty friend of a meter to be thrown in the bin without a fight and neither I believe should you.
Good luck - hope this helps.
 
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