Where to buy test strips?

Dennis

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Hi Matty,

For the last couple of years PCTs all over the country have been telling GPs not to prescribe test strips for Type 2s, an instruction that is in breach of the government's own policy on self testing being available to all diabetics.

It appears from what others have reported above that PCTs have now extended this instruction to also limit the amount of test strips allowed to patients on insulin. So if your GP is still happily prescribing all the test strips you need then either his PCT haven't yet warned him to stop, or he is ignoring their instructions.
 

Dennis

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Although a number of people have correctly stated that there is a DVLA requirement that every driver who takes insulin MUST test before every journey (I believe it also says that on a long journey you should test again every 2 hours), what the DVLA doesn't say is that the government will pay for the test strips you will need to do this.

My own GP has discussed this with his PCT and their stance is that if a diabetic wishes to drive then that is their choice and the PCT shouldn't have to pay for what you need to do this. Apparently the PCT likened it to the situation of a diabetic who wishes to take a young child with them in the car - the DVLA says you must have an appropriate child seat, but you wouldn't expect the PCT to pay for that, so why should they have to pay for your test strips.

It would appear that PCTs are trying to regard testing in order to drive as a lifestyle choice, while we see it as a part of our NHS treatment.
 

mullaneder

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its amazing that somthing so small can be so expensive,are they that expensive to manufacture?if not ,look at the money that could be made selling them.you would hope that there isnt price fixing going on, they are about 40 euros for a box of 50 in ireland,
 

Dennis

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Hi mullaneder,

€40 is very expensive - works out at about £35, whereas they are around £25 in the UK.
 

Trinkwasser

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mullaneder said:
its amazing that somthing so small can be so expensive,are they that expensive to manufacture?i

It's the Gillette Effect, give away the razor and make back the money on the blades. See also, cheap inkjet printers. They probably cost pennies to make and the rest is profit.
 

mullaneder

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i am lucky i dont have to pay for them as anything to do with diabetes in ireland is free and any time i run low i just go to the chemist and get more no questions asked .but it really bothers me to hear how hard it can be to get sorted in the uk .its a false economy as i would imagine that it would cost a lot more to treat the effects of diabetes not treated properly :?
 

rogbert

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sugarless sue said:
That's because you are type 1 on insulin,Chips. Type 2's ,especially if they are not on medication can have difficulty getting test strips from their GP and we have to pay for them.

why do you have to test if your're not on medication ? and cant you use the urine test instead if you need to test.
 

chris_h

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Why are you buying test strips? they are free on prescription if you are in the UK. as all medication should be free to Diabetics, there is a form you fill in at your Dr's then you should receive an exemption card for all your medication no matter what it is for.
 

sugarless sue

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rogbert said:
sugarless sue said:
That's because you are type 1 on insulin,Chips. Type 2's ,especially if they are not on medication can have difficulty getting test strips from their GP and we have to pay for them.

why do you have to test if your're not on medication ? and cant you use the urine test instead if you need to test.

It's precisely that I am not on medication that I need to test! How else can I control my diabetes if I do not know how the food I eat affects me.I need to test before and after every meal for a while to find out which carbs send my blood sugars up and which don't .A urine test would tell me nothing as My blood sugars are never high enough to show sugar in urine.
 

martinsoton

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I will have to double check this, but i thought i saw the 100 pack of acc-chek strips for about £5-10 in the chemist that is attached to the asda, this particular one was just outside of southampton, ill double check next time im there. I know in boots they are alot more expencive!!
 

Dennis

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Hi Martin,

I suspect they were probably the Accu-Chek Ketur test strips (for testing urine for ketones). The cheapest I can see online for Accu-Chek BS monitor strips is £18 for 50.
 

Trinkwasser

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mullaneder said:
i am lucky i dont have to pay for them as anything to do with diabetes in ireland is free and any time i run low i just go to the chemist and get more no questions asked .but it really bothers me to hear how hard it can be to get sorted in the uk .its a false economy as i would imagine that it would cost a lot more to treat the effects of diabetes not treated properly :?

You're not an accountant are you? <G>

Their point of view appears to be that if they don't save money NOW on the test strips, how will they be able to afford the amputations later? Spending pounds to save pennies.

I saw the same attitude within industry with a firm who preferred to lose customers rather than buy in more manufacturing capacity. Since then they were bought and sold several times but I suspect the accountants are still there. Sadly with the NHS you can't just go and buy a rival's product.
 

Trinkwasser

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mullaneder said:
no im a train driver :lol:

Ah well then like me you'll have been on the receiving end, trying to produce a better service while spending less money, until the track and rolling stock falls apart (unless your rail companies are more enlightened than the ones here)
 

mullaneder

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never thought i would be talking about trains on a diabetes forum we have only one state owned railway and have just bought all new rolling stock just in time as our country is now practically broke :(