hanadr
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I found the following in my in-box today.
Do they know what really goes on?
Thank you for your recent email addressed to Sir Muir Gray about the provision of blood glucose testing strips to people with diabetes. Your correspondence has been passed to me to reply.
The situation regarding blood glucose testing strips has arisen following the issue of guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the management of blood glucose in Type 2 diabetes. NICE advised that in Type 2 diabetes, self-monitoring of blood glucose has not been shown to have a significant impact on long term blood glucose control (HbA1c levels), decreased body weight, reduced incidence of hypoglycaemia or improved health-related quality of life. Some Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) have taken this to mean that home blood glucose monitoring is not indicated, and have discouraged the prescription of the blood testing strips used in monitors.
However, the NICE guidelines go on to stress that there are benefits from self-monitoring programmes, particularly as part of an integrated self-help package and this is central to the National Service Framework for Diabetes. The ideal, exemplified in the Framework, is that people with diabetes have sufficient knowledge to take decisions in partnership with their healthcare professional about the best regime to manage their condition, including the benefits of home blood glucose monitoring. On the basis of this, Sue Roberts, the then National Clinical Director for Diabetes, produced a factsheet for Strategic Health Authorities on home blood glucose monitoring. The factsheet reiterates the NICE advice, and suggests that PCTs may wish to link their strategy on self-monitoring to that on patient education.
A message reinforcing this advice was circulated through the Medical Directors, Chief Nursing Officers and GP Bulletins in February 2005.
Any PCT which is automatically discouraging the prescription of blood glucose testing strips is not acting in accordance with NICE’s advice that self-monitoring may prove useful to people in their overall approach to self-care.
If you have concerns about your own treatment, he should speak to your GP. You can also contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at your loca PCT. This can provide information and advice about NHS services, including information on how to make a complaint.
Do they know what really goes on?
Thank you for your recent email addressed to Sir Muir Gray about the provision of blood glucose testing strips to people with diabetes. Your correspondence has been passed to me to reply.
The situation regarding blood glucose testing strips has arisen following the issue of guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the management of blood glucose in Type 2 diabetes. NICE advised that in Type 2 diabetes, self-monitoring of blood glucose has not been shown to have a significant impact on long term blood glucose control (HbA1c levels), decreased body weight, reduced incidence of hypoglycaemia or improved health-related quality of life. Some Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) have taken this to mean that home blood glucose monitoring is not indicated, and have discouraged the prescription of the blood testing strips used in monitors.
However, the NICE guidelines go on to stress that there are benefits from self-monitoring programmes, particularly as part of an integrated self-help package and this is central to the National Service Framework for Diabetes. The ideal, exemplified in the Framework, is that people with diabetes have sufficient knowledge to take decisions in partnership with their healthcare professional about the best regime to manage their condition, including the benefits of home blood glucose monitoring. On the basis of this, Sue Roberts, the then National Clinical Director for Diabetes, produced a factsheet for Strategic Health Authorities on home blood glucose monitoring. The factsheet reiterates the NICE advice, and suggests that PCTs may wish to link their strategy on self-monitoring to that on patient education.
A message reinforcing this advice was circulated through the Medical Directors, Chief Nursing Officers and GP Bulletins in February 2005.
Any PCT which is automatically discouraging the prescription of blood glucose testing strips is not acting in accordance with NICE’s advice that self-monitoring may prove useful to people in their overall approach to self-care.
If you have concerns about your own treatment, he should speak to your GP. You can also contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at your loca PCT. This can provide information and advice about NHS services, including information on how to make a complaint.
