Will we ever get monitoring on the NHS?

I think of testing, now i know about it, as a cost cutting exercise for the NHS. The fewer complications people get, the cheaper the treatment on the NHS budget.

also, I have paid my NI stamp and taxes for nearly 40 years now. I dont feel guilty when I have to use the NHS, an I dont think other people should be made to feel guilty either.

out of interest does anyone know how much the HbA1c test costs?

In an ideal world it would be useful to have one every four months, mine are normally every 12 months. I wonder how many more T2's there would be if GPs routinely did an annual HbA1c for all patients.

Scimama said:

out of interest does anyone know how much the HbA1c test costs?

In an ideal world it would be useful to have one every four months, mine are normally every 12 months. I wonder how many more T2's there would be if GPs routinely did an annual HbA1c for all patients.

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There are different HbA1c tests available.
I believe the most expensive (no idea of the £££) is a vial of blood sent to the lab
But some surgeries buy in the small tests that give results within about 10 mins and just use a single large drop of blood. These small tests only cost around £20 each (I have bought them myself in the past, using the A1C Now brand).

There is, of course, the question of accuracy, but my home A1c Now kit was certainly in line with the surgery one.

Scimama said:

out of interest does anyone know how much the HbA1c test costs?

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Back in 2011 the indicative cost of a HbA1c test was £4.04p

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg130/resources/costing-statement-183367117

Brunneria said:

There are different HbA1c tests available.
I believe the most expensive (no idea of the £££) is a vial of blood sent to the lab
But some surgeries buy in the small tests that give results within about 10 mins and just use a single large drop of blood. These small tests only cost around £20 each (I have bought them myself in the past, using the A1C Now brand).

There is, of course, the question of accuracy, but my home A1c Now kit was certainly in line with the surgery one.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that info @Brunneria can I ask where you buy them from? I would be very interested in self monitoring my HbA1c in-between and annual test. (oh dear that is adding to the whole should we self fund debate)

Scimama said:

Thanks for that info @Brunneria can I ask where you buy them from? I would be very interested in self monitoring my HbA1c in-between and annual test. (oh dear that is adding to the whole should we self fund debate)

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lol

Have a google for A1CNow, because I think they are available directly from the manufacturer.
Possibly even Amazon.
I no longer use them, because I have a Libre, and find the wealth of info that gives me far outweighs the HBA1c result...

Scimama said:

out of interest does anyone know how much the HbA1c test costs?

In an ideal world it would be useful to have one every four months, mine are normally every 12 months. I wonder how many more T2's there would be if GPs routinely did an annual HbA1c for all patients.

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In the early 1980's, test strips (in my town) were put through peoples letter boxes and my then father In law tested and the stick/strip made him go his GP because of the reading and he was diagnosed with diabetes.

Scimama said:

out of interest does anyone know how much the HbA1c test costs?

In an ideal world it would be useful to have one every four months, mine are normally every 12 months. I wonder how many more T2's there would be if GPs routinely did an annual HbA1c for all patients.

Click to expand...

Found this on Google :- https://privatebloodtests.co.uk/private-blood-test-for-hba1c-in-blood.html

Robinredbreast said:

Found this on Google :- https://privatebloodtests.co.uk/private-blood-test-for-hba1c-in-blood.html

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ouch £122.25

My Brother has been type 2 for a number of years and has a number of related side effects.
As he is on disability living allowance he has received his strips lancets and insulin supply free .
The BS test machines are free from a number manufacturers and I have got him two ,via links on the Diabetes UK web site
And on one occasion the practice nurse gave him a tester. I can see that the strips and lancets are different for each manufacturer. So it seems these are a loss leader. However The GP will not or cannot put the strips on repeat [50 a month]. The same with the lancets. His hbA1c result was 40-42 for the second time in 6 months.On the subject of the frequency of the hbA1c testing it seems that most sources advise yearly testing! What would be a useful frequency?
For example, my wife who is 72, as just been advised that she is pre-diabetes with an hbA1c value of 42-47. It seems to me that the next one in 12 months is not very useful. Her GP's advice was straight forward. Plenty of exercise and low sugar diet plan, and lose some weight.
No mention of BS testing or a follow up blood test
Strips are around £15 a set of 50. Lancets less. So should we get my wife to start BS testing?

Scimama said:

ouch £122.25

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That's private health for you... a friend of mine had shoulder problems and finding the waiting lists for a scan too long went private. £1500 later he had a cortisone injection into the affected part by his consultant. £150 for the jab. Charged £300, so queried it to find out that the other £150 was for administering it!

Needless to day, he returned to the bosom of the NHS. 18 months later with his shoulder playing up again he got a referal to the hospital where the same consultant gave him the same treatment for free.Mind boggling!