short sighted nhs

[deb60]

I went back to see my dn yesterday almost 3 weeks after she'd dropped the bombshell that my sugar was really high. Since I last saw her I have spent hours on this site reading all the good advice about low carbing. She weighed me and I've lost 5lb and my bs has pretty much halved. I asked her to send me on a Desmond course and refer me to a dietician. She agreed to refer me to the dietician (whyshe didn't suggest this at my previous appointment I can't understand) but said there aren't Desmond courses at the moment as the funding has been withdrawn! She thinks they will be reintroduced soon and will then refer me for a course. She said that they are brilliant and well worth attending. What I can't understand is diabetes is a widespread and serious condition and costs the nhs vast amounts of money, but they would rather pay for medication than for education and advice to help manage diabetes. This is so short sighted and must cost a huge amount more in the long run!!

 

[mo1905]

Diabetes always seems to get bad publicity and much of the public still believes it's "our fault". Very annoying. You're 100% right in what you say but, like the Gov't, there is not a great deal of forward thinking.

 

[mickey121]

It seems a backward step if diabetes is such a big problem surely sending newly diagnosed people on a Desmond course would save money in the long run if it helped people manage their diabetes better it would lessen the need for more meds and treatment for complications . Save a penny in the short term spend pounds long term


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[hanadr]

deb60
you hit the nail on the head. Prescribing medication IS the cheap option.
The cheapest would be to advise low carbing, but they Can't admit they've been wrong over this for so long.
Hana

 

[Yorksman]

It seems a backward step if diabetes is such a big problem surely sending newly diagnosed people on a Desmond course would save money in the long run if it helped people manage their diabetes better it would lessen the need for more meds and treatment for complications . Save a penny in the short term spend pounds long term

Typically decisions are made on very small budgets after much deliberation because everyone can understand it and because they want an input. It creates a 'me too' culture where people are wanting to be seen saving money. So, the haematology dept have to jump through hoops to get their hands on a ream of photocopying or laser printer paper and they invariably come up against a Dickensian "More? More! You want more?"

Bigger budgets are more easily nodded through. They merged two hospitals, to save money, but only at the last mnute realised that the new hospital wan't built to the right specification for the newly relocated Microbiology Lab. They had to get a specially designed pre fabricated lab brought in from Germany. Then they bought an all singing all dancing blood chemistry analyser which had a greater throughput than was needed so they merged that function with a neighboring town. Here, the system is designed to fit what they have spent, rather than designed to suit their needs. The new arrangements required the relocation of the microbiology department to the neighbouring town, rendering the very expensive new lab little more than useful work space. But, as consolidation is the new buzz word, they are now relocating them yet again to a new county altogether leaving the original hospitals with no service at all. Millions wasted.

"Please sir, can I have some more photocopying paper?"