Bluetit1802
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- Messages
- 25,216
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
With the greatest of respect why the hell are you paying for your own test strips? If you tell them that the results that testing provide you with enables to make adjustments to your dietary regime which gives you better diabetic control which in turn gives you a better chance of a decent long term outcome and avoids them having to fund treatment for expensive diabetic complications then they should cave in and prescribe for you. If they refuse then tell them that you require this decision in writing with clear clinical reasons for their shortsighted refusal. Tell them that you require evidence because you intend to contact your local CCG directly and appeal their decision and lodge a formal complaint for the amateurish way that they are treating your chronic condition with potentially dangerous long term complications if your condition is poorly managed. I am type 1 ahd my own GP and DSN attempted to reduce my own test strips and failed after I challenged them. I have a very good friend who is type 2 and they refused test strips for her. She challenged them and they immediately caved in to her request. It is a sorry state of affairs but my own GP pretty much admitted that they feel that most diabetics don't have the motivation or lack the tenacity to mount a credible complaint against test strip refusal. I can provide you with a template letter to enable you to start the process if you so wish.
If your GP or practice time nurse make a ropey decision then for them it is a bad day at the office. For you it can be potentially life restricting. You should not feel in the slightest deflated for wanting to take control of your own condition. I commend you for it.
Type 2s have very little chance of having meters and strips on prescription except in certain circumstances. It is no use blaming the GP surgery. They just follow orders.
For Type 2s, this is what NICE says:
Self-monitoring of blood glucose
1.6.12 Take the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) At a glance guide to the current medical standards of fitness to drive into account when offering self‑monitoring of blood glucose levels for adults with type 2 diabetes. [new 2015]
1.6.13 Do not routinely offer self-monitoring of blood glucose levels for adults with type 2 diabetes unless:
- the person is on insulin or
- there is evidence of hypoglycaemic episodes or
- the person is on oral medication that may increase their risk of hypoglycaemia while driving or operating machinery or
- the person is pregnant, or is planning to become pregnant. For more information, see the NICE guideline on diabetes in pregnancy. [new 2015]
- when starting treatment with oral or intravenous corticosteroids or
- to confirm suspected hypoglycaemia. [new 2015]
1.6.16 If adults with type 2 diabetes are self‑monitoring their blood glucose levels, carry out a structured assessment at least annually. The assessment should include:
- the person's self-monitoring skills
- the quality and frequency of testing
- checking that the person knows how to interpret the blood glucose results and what action to take
- the impact on the person's quality of life
- the continued benefit to the person
- the equipment used. [2015]