Type 1 Who are you under for your diabetic care? GP, Practice Nurse or DSN.

[thewestiesmum]

As the title of the thread says "who are you under for your diabetic care? GP, Practice Nurse or DSN.

When I was first diagnosed in 1991 I was under the care of the hospital - I'd see the DSN, a consultant, a dietitian, optician..... Then we moved house and my diabetes was looked after by the practice nurse at the gp practice, optician and podiatrist were done at other places. We moved house again and again my care is done by the practice nurse etc. I got DKA in 2017 and my care was done by a DSN who has recently discharged me from the service and I'm now back having my care done with the practice nurse at the gp practice etc.

 

[Dr Snoddy]

Nurse (or health care assistant!) at GP practice and yearly retinopathy check at local hospital. And that it!

 

[Jaylee]

Hi,

My endo at the hospital & a DSN. (Also based at the department.)

A nurse at my surgery may take the relivant samples for tests & send it off? But on the whole the GP & nurse leaves that "witchcraft" to the hospital.

 

[Lamont D]

All the above!

Doctor,
Dsn,
Dietician,
Specialist Endocrinologist,
Neurologist,

And the wife!

 

[Hopeful34]

Endocrinologist and DSN, both at the hospital.

 

[Antje77]

I was given the choice after I was rediagnosed with T1 from T2.
I used to be under the care of my GP's practice nurse, who I liked a lot but was not very knowledgable when I was deemed a T2.
I opted to switch to hospital care with my new diagnosis, so endocrinologist and DSN.

 

[sleepster]

I see a consultant at a hospital clinic, where there are also DSNs and dietitians. Bloods, foot checks and retinopathy checks are done there too. I see my GP for a "diabetes review" once a year, which involves blood tests and a chat about any problems. I've never seen the diabetes nurse at the GPs, although there is one.
When I move house (this year or next) I'll be staying at the same hospital clinic, but we'll see what happens at the new GPs

 

[NicoleC1971]

Consultant as I am tier 3 or 4 due to previous complications.
Not that anything special happens but at least the top dog can sign off my funding for pump/Dexcom etc.

 

[Fenn]

I was passed from my GP to Endo Consultant as a T2 no idea why, perhaps because GP was tired of scratching head, he did the Cpep, have been seeing him and his DSN since. My local surgery have nothing to do with it now, I’m not even allowed to ask them a question, they refer me straight back to hospital team.

 

[EllieM]

Consultant as I am tier 3 or 4 due to previous complications.
Not that anything special happens but at least the top dog can sign off my funding for pump/Dexcom etc.

I was wondering about that? Do you UK folk who are just seeing a GP get funding for libre and/or pumps?

When I was in the UK my GPs freely admitted they knew little about T1 and just signed off on prescriptions while I went to a hospital for DSN end endo (and two T1 pregnancies). In Australia I again saw an endo and GP signed off on scripts. In NZ my GP is a little more proactive (has a diabetic review with me) but I supposedly get annual reviews with hopital endo and DSNs and a dietician (who are phonable and reasonably helpful).

 

[Hertfordshiremum]

I see a DSN at the local hospital although the last 18months she zooms along with a dietitian. They are both great. Hardly any contact with the endo though.

 

[Rokaab]

I was wondering about that? Do you UK folk who are just seeing a GP get funding for libre and/or pumps?

Im my case, before I got re-referred to the hospital clinic, to get the libre my DSN at the docs had to write to one of the consultants at the hospital to get it prescribed as said consultants were the only ones who could say yes, the doctors couldn't do it without the consultants say-so.

To get my pump I had to be referred to the hospital to talk to the pump consultant there (it still took 2-3 years to get them to say yes), cos my doctors a) don't know enough about pumps and b) have no authority to prescribe, its actually the hospital that pay for my pump stuff and mine at least gets sent straight from Medtronic, the doctors don't really even have visibility of it at all - it doesn't go through the normal prescriptions

 

[NicoleC1971]

I see a DSN at the local hospital although the last 18months she zooms along with a dietitian. They are both great. Hardly any contact with the endo though.

GP prescribes the fsl on advice of the consultant but certainly to get pump you need to go through a consultant so there needs to be a clinical justification to access that e.g. frequent hypos, high hba1c and/or complications.
Once you are on a pump the process is administered via the hospital as the Gp can't prescribe consumables.
There is no one sto shop for diabetes on the NHS in my experience!

 

[Outlier]

T2 originally diagnosed while in hospital for something else but nobody spoke to me about any aspect of it. However, I did notice they were injecting me with insulin.

GP told by hospital, and then referred me to DSN.

DSN rather worryingly seems to know very little about diabetes T2. Totally dismissive about my having reduced BG to non-diabetic levels since beginning of October, and gone down 4 clothes sizes (no idea what I weighed then so can't say how much I've lost). Didn't even ask me how. Assured me I'd need to take more medication in due course and would eventually end up on insulin.

I've had my first eye test (all OK thank goodness) and due another HbA1c end of April.

Thank goodness for the help and information I've found here. Any time I feel daunted and brassed off, your knowledge and support strengthens my resolve.

 

[Sarah69]

I go to a diabetic clinic at the hospital.

 

[Riva_Roxaban]

As a T2, my GP, and a CDE if I want more help if needed.

 

[becca59]

Consultant at hospital clinic. Also have access to DNs by phone/email if I needed someone.