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Type 1 From Reviews At Hospital To Nurse Practitioner?

V

victry77

Well-Known Member
Messages
260
Hi

I've been going for all my diabetic reviews, since being diagnosed 10 yrs ago, at the diabetes centre at my local hospital. Usually seeing a different consultant each time, or if I'm luckier, the consultant nurse who is excellent.

It's very rare I ever need to see or contact the clinic other than going for my annual review. My review was due last month and when I received the reminder, I realised I had booked myself onto a course that day which I had already paid for. I phoned to get it rescheduled but now it's not until October.

My GP surgery run six monthly diabetes checks with their nurse practitioner, which I receive letters to attend but never go to, due to all my diabetes stuff being dealt with at the hospital. However, I did go back in September as I had to do a follow up urine sample from my last annual review and Vit D check. The nurse commented how it's the first time I'd ever been, did BP, A1C and urine, etc, and said I can book in anytime.

So, considering my annual review will be 5 months overdue (plus I have another issue I could use seeing a nurse about) I have booked in for this week to get my diabetes check done and mention other issues that will likely require an exam.

So, my long-winded question is; has anybody, or would you consider it wise, to start visiting the surgery to see the nurse for my annual reviews as opposed to the hospital? I ALWAYS forget about the hospital appts because they are booked a year in advance, the hospital is a longer journey and it always over runs. The GP surgery is nearer, I can book an appt at short notice on whichever day suits me and I can discuss any other issues with the nurse, which isn't possible at the clinic.

I'm just a bit concerned about ditching the hospital altogether. I still have the October appt, any advice?
 
Like you, I have always attended the diabetic reviews at the hospital and declined the invite for the review at my local surgery which usually arrive within a week of the hospital one.

What is the reason you feel you should have the review now rather than wait until October?
Is it because you want the tests (BP, hB1AC, ...) or do you have some diabetes related questions?

I have little confidence in the nurse at my GP surgery to be able to assist with the diabetes questions. This is not a criticism of her but because she is a generalist who I would not expect to know about, for example, how to adjust the basal setting on my pump.

Give the prevalence of type 2, I would expect the nurse to know more about this than type 1 (or any other type) and may direct any response/queries towards knowledge around this.
 
I'm just wondering if the other issue is diabetes related. You could make a separate appointment for that and still keep the hospital appointment in October. I have no faith at all in the DNs at the surgery, so would much prefer to be checked out at the hospital Diabetes Centre, if that were possible; but it's usually for more serious cases.
 
I agree with what has been said so far. I have avoided nurses at the GP surgery since meeting a nurse who had lots of misinformation which she insisted on passing on to me. They have no training on dealing with anything except type 2, but assume that they can use this to deal with a type 1 patient.
 
Thank you for your replies.

As I say, the only time I see any medics regarding my diabetes is my annual review and eye screening. If I have any questions then I come here because by the time it would take to faff around to speak to the DN or get an appt, some kind and extremely knowledgeable people will have already helped me an the problem will have been resolved. This nurse is a practitioner and seems very on the ball, but TBH, I doubt I would ask her any diabetes related questions because like you all have said her knowledge will be more geared to T2, it would just be to get the standard checks.

The reason I thought I would book to see the nurse rather than wait until October is because it just means my review will have gone well over the 12 months and the all my subsequent appts will be in October which is far less convenient than the summer months. The other issue is not diabetes related so it is massively handy to be able to kill two birds with one stone by seeing the nurse this week.

But like the rest of you, I would always recommend people see the experts at a a proper clinic as opposed to their own surgery, so that's why I'm reluctant to make the switch. But I've found that while attending the hospital was vital in the early few years, for about the past 6yrs it's just been the very standard checks that could could get done by the nurse at my surgery.
 
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