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NHS restricting machines to the cheapest strip machine

jackvdbuk

Well-Known Member
Messages
65
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
i'm curious, its 2025 the NHS is "struggling", you are forced onto the cheap strip machine that needs allot of blood and is pretty rubbish...


would you be happy to pay for the expensive strips yourself? lower your usual 8-10 tests a day to 2-4 to save money? move onto the cheap less reliable machine to save money?

what are your thoughts?
 
I received a freestyle optium neo when I was diagnosed and it was pretty basic and did need a lot of blood. I now got a free freestyle insulinx off this website and it uses a lot less blood and calculated how much insulin I need for me. My GP has just prescribed me the test strips too.
 
i don't know if i would mind terribly.......even the cheap machines in 2025 wont need a lot of blood...
 
I wouldn't pay for strips myself personally since it's not my fault if I need test strips. I currently have the Accu-Chek mobile and I know it is probably one of the more expensive machines but my GP happily provides strips I need. Lowering the amount of tests we do a day could be risky especially if driving etc so would never do that. My GP has never mentioned about changing my machine to a cheaper one.
 
I don't think I'd want to pay for my strips. If the NHS wants to save money there are plenty of other places it can do so. Also, good control of diabetes, helped by testing, saves the NHS money in the long run.

I wouldn't reduce the number of tests I do either. I do as many as I need, no less and no more.
 
I already have a cheap machine and have to pay for over half my test strips - so no change there then!
 
I'd definitely pay...Health comes first.

I had to buy a box from the pharmacy once because I'd run out (had stock at home, but home was a 30 mile commute away) £25 for 50!

I think the pharmaceutical companies need to be taken to task...too much profiteering..
http://www.biopharmadive.com/news/pharmas-fortune-500-the-top-ranked-companies-of-2015/400691/

Making strips is, I accept, a 'tad bit, sophisticated a process, but the rationale below does not justify a 70% profit for pharma companies.

"Beyond the enzymes, precious metals, chemicals, and other materials that make up test strips, manufacturers must design and build plants to produce the strips and conduct R&D into new technologies"
 
Many of us already pay out of pocket for CGM/GM so it wouldn't be unusual. Having said that, I agree with @azure ... it would be a false economy as regular testing lowers HbA1Cs and reduces long-term complications. And I agree there are PLENTY of other places the NHS could cut back first ... hitting those of us who have an autoimmune disease that we did nothing to cause would be particularly harsh.
 
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Seems as though this post may be a self fufilling prophecy...

I've just been reading a number of publications from various NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, published within the last year - they are sending down directives from high on up that all Diabetics (with the exception of special cases; under 18 etc) should be transitioned to the glucorx nexus..This is the machine I was moved onto a while back - not exceptionally accurate, but strips are cheap.
 
If NHS wants to save money it should fire GPs that hand out anti-biotics like they're smarties.
 
Neemo said:
"Beyond the enzymes, precious metals, chemicals, and other materials that make up test strips, manufacturers must design and build plants to produce the strips and conduct R&D into new technologies"
Click to expand...

Have they seen the size of a test strip? It's hardly made using a nugget of gold now is it! A flash of gold plate is all. Plus, what they conveniently skirt around is the fact that they are manufacturing these by the millions.....in fact I'd wager that a PO for these little babies is probably placed for a billion minimum.

Yes, the manufacturers maybe do need to build plants (or a process line more likely) but they do that once and then watch them roll along for the next ten years! The manufacturers will be screwed down on price and probably making a mere fraction of profit compared to the pharma's!!
 
In a way, it's good that the NHS is choosing cheaper strips, because it means the more expensive strips will have to come down in price - supply and demand.

I don't see an alternative to pharma companies making a profit as a return on their investment, if we want to remain a free market economy. Those who risk their capital to develop new products should be rewarded, otherwise there will be no incentive to develop new products and treatment options will stagnate.
 
I'm hoping before 2025 we will have an App for that and won't need monitors or strips.
 
My GP practice has changed my nice solid Contour meter to a very flimsy Accucheck Active meter. I have great trouble opening the strip pot, the strips are long and bendy, they take a lot of blood to get it in the right position on the strip (so I waste a lot), it uses a very fiddly plastic code button. I looked on Amazon and found that the strips for my Contour can be bought at a cheaper price than the Accucheck strips but no doubt the practice has done a deal somewhere. I`ve also noticed that whenever there has been a recall of meters it`s usually an Accucheck one. The practice has also reduced the number of strips for each repeat prescription (about every 6 weeks) from 150 to 100. I am type 1 and test 4 times a day.
 
I suggest you show them the part of the NICE guidelines that say T1s must be given enough strips to allow testing at an adequate number of times per day. They also say T1s must be offered basal/bolus, so 100 strips for 6 weeks wouldn't allow testing before each dose, plus testing before driving. Another factor is that the DVLA requires people to test before driving and every 2 hours while driving. Either the practice manager is not good at maths, or they haven't read the guidelines.
 
 
Hi guys,

I've just had my first trip to the doctors since coming back to the UK (worked in Paris for a year)

The first thing the doc did was to change me to a glucorx nexus meter. I have been using my accu-chek aviva for pretty much 10+ years and I think it's great. What is the consensus on this new meter? Has anyone had experience of using it?

I'm worried that changing meters may have an impact on my control, simply because the doc wants me to use cheaper testing strips!

Any advice would be really appreciated, thanks guys
 
I sat down with my GP going through cost to NHS on a variety of strips, there was on average a 20p difference, GP was oh well might as well give you the ones you want. Me being me said all those 20p soon mount up to a big cost to NHS, but I still took my contour strips.
 
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