GPs and Test Strips

[Landshark]

I have watched, for a number of years, various forums and public presentations on testing. Not just diabetes, but many chronic conditions. As far as diabetes is concerned there is even more "fluff" generated for the patient to dodge. Firstly there is no directive from the NHS on which test strips to supply. If the test strips can be sourced in the NHS catalog, they can be supplied and there are loads of them! Any GP saying that he/she can only supply XY or Z is not telling you the truth. What they are really saying is that their practice will only supply X Y or Z, and that is usually as a result of the local sales rep for the company concerned.

Second, every patient has every right to use whatever they like to self-monitor. That does not mean that every GP has to agree. I have watched really rude patients demand that their GP/Nurse allows them to use the latest Hokey-Cokey 2000 tester because it comes in red and matches their eyes. The fact that it does not give a single accurate reading is of little or no importance!

The NHS has a list of approved testers and test strips/consumables. That list is freely available within the NHS and prescribing surgeries. If you have a preference, then check BEFORE you buy to see that test strips and lancets are available from the catalogue. If they are, then all you need to do is to be polite and firm and ask for what you need when you need it. It makes no difference to the prescribing person what they are prescribing provided that it is an approved device.

There is a concerted effort to nail the eBay parasites who illegally sell test strips that they have obtained from the NHS for free.

Test strips are expensive but you have to ask yourself why all manufacturers are around the same price break per test. In a recent analysis that my company did, the most expensive test was also the most popularly prescribed unit. The cheapest was one of the newest units for the iPhone (no not the one advertised here).

This is a subject that will not simply 'go away' but petitions are not the way to go either. The best solution (IMHO) is to simply ensure that you get what you want by courtesy and accuracy in your request. If you get your strips on prescription then you effectively stop the illegal trade. If your GP says that they cannot prescribe the strips for the tester of your choice, ask why - politely - before explaining that they can prescribe whatever they like provided it is approved.

I am sure I will get some disagreements here - it is a forum after all - but I am also in the medical business and have been for a very long time.

 

[didie]

You make an interesting point, but you are rather condescending implying that that people are not courteous or accurate in their requests to their GP's. I'll have to take issue with that because I'm sure that no matter how people may disagree with their GP's the majority are polite. In fact I'd say that some are so afraid of disagreeing with their GP, that they sometimes don't voice their innermost fears because of that. If you are not polite to your GP, you could find yourself being removed from a Practice list and quite rightly so. No one should be treated with disrespect. I have worked in the medical field for the past 30 years and in my experience I have found that rude patients are actually very few and far between.

 

[Landshark]

I did not mean to imply that all patients are rude. What I meant to say was that those who get refused often become 'agitated' or less than polite when they don't get what they want.

 

[borofergie]

I did not mean to imply that all patients are rude. What I meant to say was that those who get refused often become 'agitated' or less than polite when they don't get what they want.

Do they? I didn't, but then I can afford to buy my own strips.

I agree that if you are going to get free strips then it should be from the approved list, but I don't see that there is any point in arguing with the HCP about it. In my experience many of them are remarkably instransient about most things diabetes related.

 

[Unbeliever]

I think most people posting here are more concerned about geting strips on prescription at all rather han worrying about which srips and meters they can have.

I am sure that the other type exist. They do everywhere.
I can't understand why tes srips are so epensive still. Surely the manufacturers have now given up hope of the NHS prescribig them as hey did in the past.? I just think it a pity that information on self -monitoring and how to obtain cheaper strips {and I don't mean e-bay} is not freely available.

The current siuation lends itself to blackmarkketeering and will so long as T1s and some T2s are prescribed strips and others are not. It appears that the strategy for dealing with this is to deny the efficacy of self-testing for all T2s Newly qualified GP's are all firmly indoctrinated with this idea but some of the more experienced may struggle.

If it is Practice Policy not to prescribe strips then it will be a very lucky patient who obtains them I suspect that in some cases the first appproach is denied and if the patient is sufficiently persistent and clued-up they may be successful but this will be a tiny minority,

I can get test strips on prescription but rarely request thenm and buy my own srips directly from a manufacturer.
I have had the same test srips from the GP since diagnosis and would not even think of asking to change as I am very conscious of those who can't have any.and am afraid of "rocking the boat". I strongly suspect that recent attempts by my Nurse to wihdraw the iny dose of potentially hpo-inducing medicaion is in order that I can be refused he strips I so rarely request.

In these circumasances the las hing on my mind is to want a meter matching my eyes or one which will take a partidcular app.
Could I speak freely I would tell them that he percentage of "dud" strips in the tubs supplied on prescription has risen drastically
since strips ceased to be issued to all T"s. An attempt to force those with prescriptions to make more frequen requests?
Unfortiunately we, the hapless diabetics can't really afford to rust anyone in this situation.
Those of us who can take care of ourselves do so. petitions may not be the way but I don't think your suggestions are either.
I think it is a little more diffficult than that.
I may be wrong , but I can't recall a single meber making a big deal of one type of meter or prescription strips. We are all too well aware of the situation.

I take it that you represent one of the manufacturers in some capacity wishing to research the situation?

 

[Landshark]

@borofergie - why should anyone pay more than prescription rates for a chronic disease? Why should a doctor or nurse force a specific product on you when it may not suit and there is a better option for you that is approved?

The principal reason that many patients do not get what they need or want is that they are too frightened to question the alleged authority of the GP/nurse that they are seeing. No-one who is even 'at risk' of being diabetic should be denied a test strip on the basis of a practice preference. I would go further and state that anyone with a BMI over 25 should be able to get test strips on prescription or free. Prevention is better than running headlong into disaster!

@unbeliever - no, my business is completely outside the pharmaceutical markets. We are already researching one of the areas through our founder's own pocket (me).

 

[viv1969]

There is a concerted effort to nail the eBay parasites who illegally sell test strips that they have obtained from the NHS for free.

Though they are annoying and obviously lacking in principles, people who obtain strips by prescription and then sell them on are strictly speaking not acting illegally, but rather immorally.

 

[borofergie]

There is a concerted effort to nail the eBay parasites who illegally sell test strips that they have obtained from the NHS for free.

Though they are annoying and obviously lacking in principles, people who obtain strips by prescription and then sell them on are strictly speaking not acting illegally, but rather immorally.

There should be a concerted effort to nail the High Street chemist parasites that sell test strips at a criminal premium...

 

[Paul1976]

My local independant quoted me when first diagnosed,£25-£50 for 50 Optium Plus strips for my old dusty Optium Xceed meter! :shock: She then took offence when I started laughing and abruptly informed me that was the going rate! Not cool! roblem:

 

[borofergie]

My local independant quoted me when first diagnosed,£25-£50 for 50 Optium Plus strips for my old dusty Optium Xceed meter! :shock: She then took offence when I started laughing and abruptly informed me that was the going rate! Not cool! roblem:

Yes. I think we've all been stitched up when we first started (in my case it was in a well known chain of chemists that begins with "B" and rhymes with "boots".

Although to be fair, they aren't all crooks. The local chemist that took my first prescription for metformin told me off for paying the prescription charge, and told me to go back to the Doctor and ask for an exemption form...

 

[Paul1976]

My local independant quoted me when first diagnosed,£25-£50 for 50 Optium Plus strips for my old dusty Optium Xceed meter! :shock: She then took offence when I started laughing and abruptly informed me that was the going rate! Not cool! roblem:

Yes. I think we've all been stitched up when we first started (in my case it was in a well known chain of chemists that begins with "B" and rhymes with "boots".

Although to be fair, they aren't all crooks. The local chemist that took my first prescription for metformin told me off for paying the prescription charge, and told me to go back to the Doctor and ask for an exemption form...

Sounds like your local pharmacist is one to hang onto and plays a fair game! :thumbup:

 

[phoenix]

Theres a set tarif here for strips ie the price that the social security will pay for them if you are prescribed them as part of having a long term 'maladie' ie diabetes treated by medications.
At present it's €19.31 for 50.(£15.79 today) Pharmacies can charge more but I have not had to pay any more in any of the local pharmacies .( I buy extra sometimes to use them for testing a lot when running... I don't get prescribed enough to always cover that)

Since last year however, if you're not on insulin you may get 200 but only as part of 'education'. If you're on multiple medications including Sulfs then you also get 200 a year. Interestingly this removal of strips from most T2s doesn't appear to have created a big Ebay market. There's just a page of meters that come with strips, most of them aren't any cheaper than in the pharmacie (meters are more expensive than in the UK)

 

[eshaw]

'The NHS has a list of approved testers and test strips/consumables'

Where can one find this list as I was unaware of this, and would really like to know which meters and strips are the better ones so I can get more accurate readings. I use the One Touch Ultra strips, but that's only because that was being plugged at the diabetes centre when I was diagnosed, and the meter they gave me for free. I now see other meters being given out as well, but no mention which one is the best. Chances are, patients come to the surgery asking for certain strips as that's all they know or have been told, and with the many meters now available it's difficult to know. If we were given the same advice in the first place and made aware of this list, then maybe patients would go for the approved ones. It's very frustrating when one gets conflicting info from the hospital and GP so I can understand why people get annoyed.

As for paying for a meter, I've never paid for one? I have found if one is diabetic, companies often give you the meter for free as they want you to use their test strips which they make the money from. As for people being denied them or feel bad for getting them on prescription (in the UK), I wouldn't feel bad, and don't see as getting them 'free' as I pay my taxes after all which contributes to the health service, and by using them to check my blood allowing me to monitor and control/manage it properly, it means less complications and therefore less visits to the GP, hospital and treatment for complications overall which saves money, so it's a false economy as far as I am concerned.

I must say though, I've been very lucky and never had problems with any GPs I've had issuing blood strips.

 

[Terminator 2]

I must say though, I've been very lucky and never had problems with any GPs I've had issuing blood strips.

Likewise here, I feel for folk who are in no different a situation from myself yet get refused them.

 

[eshaw]

Yes I do too, another example of the NHS lottery!

 

[hanadr]

I've just seen an article[sorry, just skimmed it so don't remember where] which says that strips actually account for only a very small cost to the NHS compared with the cost of treating complications.
Given that many people simply WON'T take control of their condition themselves, for a huge raft of reasons. I am planning to ask DUK if they might support a campaign for those T2 diabetics who wish to self manage to be able to declare this somewhere and then to get an appropriate number of strips, with some monitoring of results to check on them, so loads more strips DON'T end up on eBay.
Hana
It might be conditional on some kind of training course. NOT that I've ever been on one :?

 

[Unbeliever]

I've just seen an article[sorry, just skimmed it so don't remember where] which says that strips actually account for only a very small cost to the NHS compared with the cost of treating complications.
Given that many people simply WON'T take control of their condition themselves, for a huge raft of reasons. I am planning to ask DUK if they might support a campaign for those T2 diabetics who wish to self manage to be able to declare this somewhere and then to get an appropriate number of strips, with some monitoring of results to check on them, so loads more strips DON'T end up on eBay.
Hana
It might be conditional on some kind of training course. NOT that I've ever been on one :?

Wha would you think they would be likely to tell the attendees on such a course Hana? Do you think it would be on the same lines as the old advice to test on rising before lunch and wo hours after dinner? after dinner? I remeber his is what we were supposed to do and record for the doctor.
I am no sure what they are advocating these days or what is taught on training courses.
Anything which would bring atention to this matter would be welcome I am sure,