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NHS saves money on T2's

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oobuc5

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Got diagnosed last sept the short one is i got my sugar level down been very careful with my diet and got what the doctor called realy excellent results with my 3 monthly test ,so good that they have now decided to strectch my blood tests out to 4 months ! is this common practice ? it would seem that if you made the effort to control your condition then you dont need to be tested every 3 months,[good thing /bad thing ,normal practice ? point is because i look after my self how long befor they stretch the tests out to six months ? or 12 months ?

worrying thing thing is there are so many effects on your system with T2, [ low immune being one ]4 months or maybe 6 months is a long time between tests !

anyone had the same ?
 
In my reading about diabetes I have seen - but sorry can't find the reference - that hba1c should be every 3 months until diabetes is stable and then every 6 months.

Mine are now every 6 months and I don't like it, every 3 months keeps me on the straight and narrow. But I have read some people on the forum having a review once a year, which I would not like at all.
 
If you asked your Dr to be seen every 3 months will they not do it? If you explain that having the HbA1c every 3 months will help you to keep motivated and stick to your diet etc they might be happy to see you every 3 months. I guess it depends on your Dr but worth asking.

My daugher is T1 and as her control with the pump now is good we have been given our next appt in 4 months. I'm happy with that but if I wasn't I'm sure they'd allow her to be seen more regularly. I don't think it's just T2's who are being seen less often, I think it's those who appear to be doing well they feel do not need as much support. But if you're unhappy about it you should explain and perhaps they'll agree to see you more often.
 
No they won't, I have a letter from telling me that diabetic checks ar now every 6 months - I am about to move and change doctor and have a whole heap of questions to ask them. From who monitors their diabetic patients to how often adn that constant issue of test strips.
 
I was only given an HbA1c every 12 months when I had good control, then the Doctor refused to give me any test strips, so I had to wait for 12 months to find out that I was climbing up the HbA1c ladder, (not really as I bought my own strips) I was put on Metformin and still refused strips, I have managed to get a 3 monthly HbA1c now, but for how long?

H
 
That worries me, the thought of only once a year, as there is nothing like an upcoming HBA1c to keep me on the straight and narrow.
 
I someimes have he opposite problem . I am supposed to have HBA1Cs every 3 months but my practice tend to time it to suit themselves and and it is sometimes two, sometimes three and sometimes less than two. Before I understood that there were wo different "forces" at work
I just used to do as i was told . On one occcasion I even had two in one month. I did query this but apparently I was a victim of "admin wars"...

I find that when they look back at he results now they don't read them properly and quote the results of those two tests as covering a period of 6 months instead of one. This makes nonsense of the whole thing.

Now I know it should be every 3 months ,as far as possible I insist that it is. It is not always possible because of differnt bodies wanting results in time for appoint,menyts etc.

I know he tests are available by post should you wish to do your own but have no idea how much they cost or how reliable they are. I recently saw a notice in a pharmacy offering HBA!c on the premises but the pharmacist was not available at the time. These would surely be reliable . but again I don't know how much this would cost.

I have some problems geting the results. The attitude seems o be that they will tell me if I need to know otherwise just accept that it is "normal"!
 
You can only tell people what is happening to you by your own experience ,i was on 3 monthly hcb1
and because i look after myself regarding the T2 i was awarded with my hcba1c being stretched out to 4 months then it will be six and then 12 months ,this is what happens when doctors are put in charge of budgets ,people dont matter cash does .

On the subject of test strips i was diagnosed last september and had to push to get mine using the logic t hat i dont know where my levels are and or what causes them to be to high or to low even though i take my condition very seriously and no im not a porker at 161lbs and 5,10 ,
the doctor seems to think i dont need the strips as i tested by the nhs i had to tell her that fresh baked bread in any supermarket does not carry any information at all as to content of sugar or fat ,
yes i know by law they are suposed to have a list of content but when i asked asda and tesco in yeovil no one had a list at hand but promised to get it sorted ,[THEY DID NOT] thats the reality of real life .

when i went to renew a couple of perscriptions the doctor because your tests were so good you wont need the strips ! i said not at the moment as i have some left but you can see where its going ,
The one good thing you can do is to get onto the computer and type in DR FOSTERS, THESE ARE THE GUYS WHO EVALUATE DOCTORS /HOSPITALS if enough people get on it they can change the ratings for there doctors and or hospitals, if your diabetic care by your doctor is rubbish rate them at zero ,and tell them, they will get the message if enough people do this as ratings matter ,so do the bonuses that go with it.

DOCTORS DONT LIKE MR FOSTER AS THER RATINGS CAN BE AFFECTED AND THEY LOOSE CASH !

CHECK IT OUT .
 

Well done for being well controlled oobuc5, but I'm not sure what your problem is, surely you should be pleased that you have been moved to 4 monthly checks as it means you are controlling your condition well, if you are not well controlled I'm sure you only have to ask to see your doctor again the same that you would if you had another problem.

I was on 3 month checks and then 4 monthly and have now been told 6 monthly will be fine by my practice DN as she considered my control good, I have not had an Ac1 out of the 5's since diagnosis when it was 12.9%. I am delighted that I dont have to waste my time and that of the practice DN or public money just so the DN can pat me on the back and say well done, I know I am well controlled I dont need someone who knows less than I do about diabetes than I do to tell me so. In fact I would happily move to 12 month checks now unless I have problems in the future.

I check my feet almost daily when I apply cream to the soles of my feet and I already get a retinopathy appointment once a year notified by the hospital where it is carried out.

One other observation someone mentioned that they have "lots of questions to ask their doctor" I would sooner ask the knowledgeable people on this forum who have helped me gain such good control rather than my (excellent) doctor who sadly knows little about diabetes.

Oobuc5 if you were badly controlled I doubt if you would have been moved to 4 monthly checks, but by your own admission you are well controlled so will one month really make any difference? I can't see it myself.
 

Arrrr, OK this is a rant about the proposed changes to the way the NHS is run, why didnt you say so in the first place?
 
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Tescos lists nutritional info on their website, though there are a lot of occasions when you won't have that info to hand anyway. It's worth using rough figures, I have to calculate insulin doses, if I don't know the exact carb count for 'normal' bread, white or wholemeal 50% carb is a good general rule.
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Love your post in answer to oobuc5 yesterday Sid. Couldn't agree more. There is far more information and support on here from experienced people than can be had from most DN's and certainly mosyt GPs. who rarely even see a diabetic these days.

I thin we are all being discouraged from taking responsibility for our own health because we are then easier to manage. Many patients believe if they just attend the clinics and obey orders that is enough. I am constantly puzzled aas to how so-called trained professionals can advise people to eat more carbs and then show concern over weight gain for example.

It is all very short sighted because we all know that money is the real issue but encouraging patients to take responsibility for bhemselves and their own conditions would save money .

I know that many are reassured by seeing HCP's regularly but in the end it is down to oneself.

The curren thinking is o save money by regimenting people into a one-size fts all system. Economies of scale etc.
As we are human and not goods or services this won't work but we have to keep reminding them
hat we are individuals if the one size really doesn't fit.

I felt when I was first diagnosed that a lot of money was being wasted on window -dressing bu it akes a while o get to understand the system. As with anything else it is quality not quantity which counts.

5 minutes with someone who really knows what they are alking about is worth hours talking to someone who doesn't.

I too would welcome fewer "reviews". They don't help, wind me up and achieve nothing. Mere box ticking exercises
 
anniep said:
Mine are now every 6 months and I don't like it, every 3 months keeps me on the straight and narrow.
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Annie, I'm with you here. My bloods are now every 6 months and I don't like it either. I've worked hard to get my bloods as good as they are and I too need them sooner to keep me on the straight and narrow. Only get enough strips to do a test two or three times a week. Saw my GP yesterday, and yes I can see her as often as I like, but no blood tests for 6 months. Makes me wonder why I bother!!!
 
Saw my GP yesterday, and yes I can see her as often as I like, but no blood tests for 6 months. Makes me wonder why I bother!!!
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It would be cheaper to give you a blood test than to keep visiting the GP :lol:
 
I really don't know why you are saying NHS saves money on T2s, T1s also have the time between blood tests extended if they are well controlled. Well they do at my GPs practice. When I was seen by a hospital consultant I had yearly blood tests and appointments and I was fine. Since moving to a GPs care the tests were initially 3 monthly and are now 6 monthly. If I continue to show good control I sincerely hope they will eventually be yearly .
I understand some people feel they need the blood tests and appointments to keep them on the straight and narrow. However I hope most people will eventually have enough confidence in themselves to make the decisions required without a blood test to aid you.
I too feel my my GP knows next to nothing about diabetes, but the practice has to conduct the necessary tests to obtain funding. This funding is very important for the newly diagnosed, those lacking in confidence, those with severe complications etc, so I do not begrudge going a few times ayear if it helps obtain funding to enable those people. With this method of funding I think we have to remember others in the "diabetic community" as well as what suits us.
 
I really don't know why you are saying NHS saves money on T2s, T1s also have the time between blood tests extended if they are well controlled.
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Yes
However the norm now is for T2s NOT to be given any test strips or meters :?:
So the only BG test a T2 would have will be twice a year ?

Sounds like some T2s are expected to fly blind to me :?:
 
Hi bowell, your right, from my own brand new experience, I was not given/offered a meter or strips. Basically I was told I could manage my T2 myself. ( Apart from the 3 educational visits ) Maybe they meant " Go and find a diabetic forum where you can get advice from people who know what they are talking about." Oh and buy your own means of testing, if you want to test. :roll:
 
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