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No Strips? No Nurse!!!

D

Dodge

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi
Phoned Surgery to arrange my Yearly Review, got told I can no longer make an appointment with the Diabetic Nurse for bloods, etc.(used to be specific days in the month) instead they will suggest an appointment time. Come in and one of the women there will take the blood, and there will be an envelope at reception to collect with a form to complete and a specimen bottle (which must be filled prior to the appointment, as if I didn't know!). The bloods, sample, and completed form will be sent off and if there's any change required to your medication your doctor will inform you. Nice!
 
Yeah, sound "nice". :roll:

Two questions:

1) Is the person ("one of the women") at least qualified to draw blood?

2) If changes to medication is needed, will the GP see you and explain or will leave another envelope for you to pick up without any instructions?

After the next general elections it'll get better, LibDems will require you to draw your own blood, deliver it to the Lab, wait for the results and return it back to your GP. Your will then be told to phone a 0844 or a 089 premium number, keep you on hold for 15 minutes then drop the call. You'll then have to call back again, be kept on hold for another 15 minutes and if you are lucky your GP will tell you that there are no changes and you don't need any new medications or any increase on your existing medication.

Or if you are unlucky, after the 3rd call, a secretary will tell you to phone back later or next day because the GP is on his lunch break or has already gone home for the day.

You just might get away with around £10 worth of calls for' well.......for nothing.

But maybe you won't even get to speak to the GP, instead his secretary will tell you the results and tell you to pick up your new prescription and pay the GP for the time it took him to fill it out.

Hey, the Docs don't earn enough money so someone has to top up their wages above a hundred grand....right?

Roll on the good days!
 
I have recently had the same.... at our clinic you used to have bloods ect. done the week before a review appointment and then have feedback from HCP, but now you only get a callback if they want you to change meds. I was quite upset I wouldn't get any feedback or at least confirmation my readings were close !!!! Actually I needn't have worried because 3 days later I got the call to make an appointment..... they wanted to add Gliclazide to my list !!.....there lies another story.
The new regime will upset many people I fear.
 
At my annual review they test my blood pressure, check my feet and ask if I'm depressed. If you are not seeing anyone, what happens about these tests?
 
Hi folks
if you want some proper help go to your GP's practice and sit in the waiting area after telling the Dragon receptionists you are not moving until you have recieved correct treatment off your GP .
Don't be threating but do excersize your rights as a tax paying (CLIENT) I LOST MY MY HEARING BECAUSE OF THESE WISE WEATHER RECEPTIONIST AND BELEIVE ME YOU DO HAVE RIGHTS ) make sure you use them because if us diabetic people don't we most definatley will be left to the dogs !!!!!!!!!!!!
Dont forget folks (SAFETY IN NUMBERS) :wink:
JF. :wink:
 
It might not be all bad news, they might just be changing the way they do things to a way that is different rather than worse.
I get blood tests done at the hospital, they don't take blood at the GP's practice, you just turn up (and wait...) at the hospital. This has the disadvantage of extra travelling time and waiting time, but it does mean that the blood is taken by someone very experienced who takes blood all the time

The diabetic review is done yearly by a doctor and a nurse (I'd not be at all happy for just a nurse to be doing this tbh), and the appointment is arranged by letter, I get sent one with the time and date one and a number to ring if I can't make that time. It's a 30 min or more appointment so I can see why they do it like this, also sending the letters out encourages people to go to these appointments who otherwise would not bother.

Hopefully yours is changing to a system like this or something similar rather than just stopping the annual review appointments.
 
We lost our diabetic nurse two years ago, and the other nurses in the practice are not as good,
so i always see a doctor if i have problems ,when we have our bloods done it can be done at the surgery which i like as you have a time, and if there is a problem the receptioist phones you at 7:40 on the same evening "theres nothing to worry about but the DR would like to talk to you about the bloods you had done today" but of course the doctors have all gone home :roll: and if it happens to be a friday then you have the whole weekend to worry about it :evil:
 
As explained on another thread, i need strips for testing, went for some sept 1st, no you cant have any, you need a review, earliest appointment for bloods, 21st october, had bloods then waited for appointment for results 28th november, still no strips, wrote the doctor a nasty email telling them i would take the complaint further, and low and behold phone call the morning after, your strips prescription is ready. waste of time trying to deal with the "med sec" on reception
SB
 
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