Test Strips - Complaint Response from the Dept of Health

Folks,

I recently made an official complaint to the DOH about my local PCT adopting a policy of non precription for T2's who are not on insulin. The response is below. Pay particular attention to the words I have highlighted in red....

Dear Mr Dawson,

Thank you for your email of 1 February about the provision of blood glucose testing strips to people with diabetes. I have been asked to reply.

The Department of Health is aware that self-testing of blood glucose is an important part of the self-management of diabetes.

The guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the management of Type 2 diabetes set out circumstances in which self-testing can be useful, and in these situations it can support people in managing their glucose levels and avoiding hypoglycaemia.

The NICE guidelines are also clear, however, that self-monitoring of blood glucose is helpful only as part of an overall package of support for self-care, and it is vital that the results of self-monitoring are fully understood. This means that decisions about self-monitoring should be made on a patient-by-patient basis, and healthcare professionals should work with people with diabetes to make joint decisions about the value of self-monitoring of blood glucose and prescribe accordingly. Any Primary Care Trust (PCT) that is automatically discouraging the prescription of blood glucose testing strips is not acting in accordance with NICE’s advice.If you have concerns about your treatment in particular then you should discuss them with your GP. You can also contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for the Solihull Care Trust on 0800 783 2894. This line can provide information and advice about NHS services.
I hope this reply is helpful.

Yours sincerely,


Daniel Cavill
Customer Service Centre
Department of Health

Ray,

on the positive side, it is a repost to GP's like mine who have a policy to blanket refuse strips based on their prefered criteria,
on the negative side, the GP can "lose" any justification simply by objecting that testing is not in our best interests as it can be counter productive and cause depression and anxiety

Steve

Nigel,

it's all in there!!...

The problem is that any GP's who do not wish to prescribe will always "doctor" the argument in their favour. I would like to see something more specific, whereby the GP is OBLIGED to prescribe where an indivdual can prove beyond doubt that his/her achievements surpass the norm for that GP practice!!. We typically achieve significant weight loss, HBA1C of 5.X and show a high degree of self management and responsible engagement.
Salient points from the article :-

Individuals with non-insulin treated diabetes who are motivated by SMBG activity and use the information to maximise the effect of lifestyle and medication should be encouraged to continue to monitor.
"They identify that some people with Type 2 diabetes do derive benefit from SMBG, as it can support self-management, and impact on empowerment and motivation. SMBG should be made available to those who find it useful and have been provided with education in its use.
"The report also reflects the potentially damaging effect of the arbitrary removal of SMBG from individuals who view it as a key part of diabetes self management.

Steve

I have just purchased my 5th meter. They all do the job. The reason I have so many, is that meters are very cheap (I just bought a Contour which included 25 strips for less than £8!! - got fed up of trying to win one!!) and the more meters I have, the easier it is to find cheap strips on ebay!!

All the Best - Steve