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Hospital vs GP - Diabetes Care

F

Flapjack

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi - I just wondered what other people's experience was of care at their hospital and local GP.

About a month ago I had the usual full range of blood tests followed by an appointment with my specialist diabetes doctor at the diabetes centre at my local hospital.

Yesterday I had a phone call from my GP surgery, telling me that I needed to see them for a blood test and to see their specialist nurse. I explained that I had only recently seen the hospital and had blood tests done, and asked if I could come in in July or August to spread the tests and appointments out a bit. I was told that 'we are aware that you've been to the hospital but we need to see you as well' and was given appointments for blood tests and the nurse.

It left me feeling a bit confused as to who this second appointment is meant to benefit - it seemed like the GP has boxes to tick and they're not really interested in my diabetes care. I am happy to go to my GP, but nothing has changed in my regime - no new medication or CGM (I wish!), but I haven't had HBA1C tests this close together since I was pregnant!

Thanks for reading!
 

Same for me. The results of blood tests initially requested by the Endocrine department are not shared with a GP. So GP insists on doing all the tests for themselves.

I took the view of - 'if you can't beat them' - and I've delayed 1 set of tests so that I get an a1c result at roughly 6 month intervals instead of 2 close together annually.
 
This has happened once to me in my diabetic life but I think it was just because the GP practice was restructuring and wanted fresh data......

the reality is that when the hospital clinic takes blood and gets the results, they are sent to the GP and recorded digitally......well, that's how I understand it in Scotland anyway.....

So is it needed, no, but everyone has their own agenda....
 
Hi @Flapjack and welcome to the forum

I too have to see the GP and my consultant, I know that my GP has to see me as a 'tick box' exercise so I attend to show them I am controlled and managing, however I take absolutely no advice from the nurse at my GP's, she has herself admitted I know more about my condition than she does, so it's simply to go in and review care etc, what is useful is just updating my prescription as medication often changes and some items can be deleted from my repeat prescription, I also love to have a chat with the nurse at the GP's as she is lovely and i've known her years.
 
I flat refuse to see a GP for diabetic care and had a real argument with them last time they tried to get me in for a 'medication review'. What a load of nonsense.
 
Thank you for all your replies - at least it isn't just me I think I was most annoyed by the receptionist's attitude on the phone - you WILL come in and have this done. I wouldn't mind, but I went in to see the GP for a prescription review last week. I do have other things to do besides go to the surgery every other week.
 
Those receptionists.....
 

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Every year, about 2 months after my hospital appointment, I am sent an "annual diabetes review" appointment with the surgery nurse.
Every year, I call to remind them to look at my notes (I know the hospital consultant sends them a letter because I get a copy).
Every year, the surgery tells me they will cancel the nurse appointment which was made "automatically".
This has been going on for 14 years. I have never attended a nurse's appointment at my surgery so can't comment about the actual value, only my perceived value.
 
As I'm in Denmark I'm aware that this is not 100% relevant to you lot, but here goes. I have my bloods done bi-anually at the endo clinic in my local hospital. They gave me a blood glucose meter for free, and the local authorities give me all the test strips I can be bothered to use, I found out only recently. I thought they were restricted to 150/year, but no. Oh happy days. I also get free pen needles and lancets.
On top of that, about 6 months ago my GP's clerk rang me. I asked her if I was ill, but she laughed and just wanted to check that somebody was keeping an eye on my diabetes, as they didn't know. If I wasn't being looked after she wanted me to make an appointment. I was really impressed, and even a bit touched.
 

I'm very happy to hear that look after you
 
When I explained to my Diabetic Nurse at my GPs, she agreed it was silly to have two diabetic reviews with a month of each other. She now staggers them so they're midway between my hospital reviews.
 
I don't know if this is specific to London or not but I'm going to 4 different locations for GP, endocrinology, diabetic nurse and diabetic retinopathy. They also don't seem to share records between each other, it's absolutely insane to me how it works this way. 5 years ago when I first moved here was also the first time in my life I have ever used a paper prescription, which was also taken away from me upon use. That whole experience was absolutely baffling, we're in the 21st ****** century, use these wonderful and efficient computers we all have would you.
Other than that, the actual care from the people is perfectly fine in my experience, though I only use my GP to get referred to specialists and for the odd prescription I've filled out.
 
I still wonder why they put computers in hospitals, let alone across a Health Authority! Bring back the quill and blotter... probably just as effective.
 
Last edited:
Engineer88 said:
I flat refuse to see a GP for diabetic care and had a real argument with them last time they tried to get me in for a 'medication review'. What a load of nonsense.
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The only reason I agreed to this farce was to keep DVLA happy!
 
Hi there realistically there is no need to attend the GP if you are under the care of the hospital, the reason the GP wants you to attend is to fulfil his QOF targets for payment. You have the right to say no as I do every time they try.
 
I feel as if I am not getting too much help from the hospital and would get all tests done at GPs if they could access my pump funding or cgm kit but they can't.
What value do you lot get from your hospital visits other than HbA1c results?
 
I'm quite happy for the GP to do a hba1c test - I like to know how it's going - but I did postpone it so it wasn't a week after my hospital bloods
 
I avoid the GP's for diabetic issues, we had a lot of upheaval a few years back and were expected to have reviews done at surgery, and the nurse told me she only had t2 experience but she could check my foot pulse, surgery's review letters can be repetitive when ignored and I have had an idiot receptionist tell me my insulin wouldn't be prescribed as my review was overdue, and a warning for calling her an idiot, I've had repeat items disappear from my script, warnings about test strip usage, a letter telling me I had a serious problem with my left eye and an emergency appointment at the hospital to be told it was a filing error and my eye was good, a snotty letter from a GP warning of end organ damage (with a HbA1C of 52) as I'd not attended my review (that Dr no longer works there)

The clinic's ok at the hospital, provided you speak to the right receptionist or correct nurse, speak to the wrong ones you may as well speak in Martian, but it's better than it was
 
Rnr1975 said:
Hi there realistically there is no need to attend the GP if you are under the care of the hospital, the reason the GP wants you to attend is to fulfil his QOF targets for payment. You have the right to say no as I do every time they try.
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I'm happy to attend both as the hospital are quick to pick up on problems with my blood, eyes, etc., and the Diabetic Nurse at my GPs has more time to discuss new equipment e.g. new pens or meters that have been released. She recently went out of her way to try and find a pen for my Lantus that that showed when I last injected it (similar to the Echo pen), but to no avail, but at least she tried which I doubt they would have done at the hospital clinic.
 
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