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GP problems

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Just to clarify, this is NOT a GP bashing session, just to see if it's something peculiar to my own area or not.
First diagnosis of type 2 - handed to me by diabetic nurse - told to come back in three months for second blood test......

GP rings about three weeks later to ask how I'm getting on with the medication - 'what medication?' - not been given any ......

I ring diabetes UK, and they say I should have been offered an eye check, and been given dietary advice. (they're sending me some info by email later).

I ring the surgery today - first diabetic nurse face to face appointment is not available till mid September - but I can have a phone call in the middle of August - which is still nearly 4 weeks away.

Does anyone else have this negligible help from their local surgeries?
 
Your surgery has a diabetic nurse? I've yet to meet them or be referred to them if mine does. I had a face-to-face with a GP at the time of diagnosis, so that was good, but I wasn't offered any dietary advice at that time. Three months later, I've got a letter for a diabetic eye check, so the surgery seems to have added me to the diabetes list. I've had to chase to get the medical exemption I'm now entitled to due to having medically treated diabetes (luckily, the first batch of metformin - 7 boxes - was covered by a prepayment exemption certificate).
 
DianeSedd said:
Just to clarify, this is NOT a GP bashing session, just to see if it's something peculiar to my own area or not.
First diagnosis of type 2 - handed to me by diabetic nurse - told to come back in three months for second blood test......

GP rings about three weeks later to ask how I'm getting on with the medication - 'what medication?' - not been given any ......

I ring diabetes UK, and they say I should have been offered an eye check, and been given dietary advice. (they're sending me some info by email later).

I ring the surgery today - first diabetic nurse face to face appointment is not available till mid September - but I can have a phone call in the middle of August - which is still nearly 4 weeks away.

Does anyone else have this negligible help from their local surgeries?
Click to expand...
Yep.
My lack of care comes from being diagnosed in that first panicked week of lockdown in 2020. But I have learned its better to be in control of it myself, and I'm lucky I have other non diabetes related eye problems that mean I see a consultant any way. I've never seen gp, and only saw dn once which was a waste of time.
 
I have been diabetic 8 years, in that time I have only seen the diabetic nurse twice, 'she left and the other nurses in the practice don't have any knowledge of diabetes.
 
GP surgeries have minimum care they should offer, but many are struggling and a few don't read the guidance.
Foot check (in my area this is done by a nurse at the surgery), annual specialist eye check.
First diagnosis is usually 2 HbA1c blood tests a week or two apart unless your numbers are very high, followed by appointment to discuss this (usually meds, but a few have caught up and suggest reducing carbs instead).

In England blood tests should be done every 3 mths until stable then every six - I've been changed onto 12 monthly now as I'm in remission but I still get the annual foot and eye checks.
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng28/chapter/Recommendations#individualised-care
 
That's all useful.. and at least I know now I'm not alone in this..... thank you
 
Surgeries are adapting to the lack of doctors.
The current method to appointments is through either an appointment phone call early in the morning of through an e-consult. And if you do manage to get one, it will be by phone call first, then it is up to the GP's within the surgery if your phone call turns into a face to face appointment or a referral to another medical centre of hospital depending on the circumstances.
Since then, the surgeries since covid has erupted as another surge has seen much more pressure on the front line of all medical staff and medical centres.
And the latest is even e-consult has put more restrictions what GP's will discuss on an appointment. The new advice is to phone 911.

Centaurus BA 2.75 is the new covid variant, which will hit our shores soon if not already!
 
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