Your Diabetic Check Is Now Due - Is This More Cutbacks?

Are you signed in with a diabetic clinic?

I would defo go back for another sugar test..

Dont feel.gyilty..you need hkm/her to test and find out what your bs BG levels are

Dont feel guilty, I dont wait for my GP to send me out a letter I just ring them up every 6 months and book myself in to see the nurse to get my bloods done.

Well that was just plain rude I know what I would have said to them.

Your GP's letter was reminding you of the need for a check-up so that is good. The sentence at the end might just reflect that too many patients haven't turned up for their appointments! It could have been expressed more clearly, maybe!

I get the same thing in my asthma review letter. If you refuse an appointment they mark it in their record to keep themselves right. They don't want patients to come back and take legal proceedings against them.

I think I am fortunate that I just get a letter saying I have an appointment on a certain day and that I need to make an appointment for the blood test about a week before. If I can't attend they ask me to call them to change the appointment. They even phone me a day or two before the appointment to remind me to go.

I can imagine that the message could put people off and make some feel guilty about going (if anyone who does feel guilty about going to these check up is reading this just think how much more it will cost them if the condition becomes uncontrolled and you end up with complications), however if they just keep sending these reminders out every month or so until the person makes an appointment it could cost them a lot of money (have you seen how much a stamp costs these days), better to know that the person feels they have their condition under control and don't want to see anyone.

Missed appointments cost even more if the patient just doesn't turn up. Some hospitals find it is even cost effective to employ someone just to phone people to make sure they know they have an appointment the next day and make sure they can attend. If any do say they can't make it, it gives the hospital a chance to fill the slot. It's surprising how many people are willing to drop everything when the hospital rings to say 'a slot is available tomorrow could you come for that one instead of the one you have booked in two weeks time'.

I think if it was recommended for T2 to self-test, and testing strips were readily available on prescription, then giving patients who know they are doing well the choice to miss a blood test at the doctors would be fine.
But it's possible to have very high BG but still feel ok - when my BG was hovering around 30 I didn't realise as I put any symptoms down to other health conditions. I didn't bother with testing myself or going to the surgery for A1C test, and for people like that it can be very dangerous to be given the choice of missing out on diabetic clinic appointments.

I was lucky that a routine hospital appointment for something else in January threw up some very worrying blood test results and that got the ball rolling, and I've been told I probably wouldn't be here now if hadn't turned up for more tests and sorting out my diabetes! Actually, that's probably why they wouldn't let me go home that day and kept me in overnight!

SO anyway, I think it's disgraceful to put the choice onto patients who might not see any need for regular clinic appointments and who could be in danger like I was, they should be encouraging regular clinic attendance, especally to those they tell not to self-test!

There is no conspiracy or anything else going on with this letter. It is standard practice in most surgeries to invite people for a review and also make sure that they are going to come in. They are not suggesting there is no need for it.

I have to sign and send part of the letter back if I do not want to attend. People on this forum are proactive but there are a lot of diabetics who don't bother to manage their diabetes or get their yearly checks, (the minimum required). They probably throw these letters in the bin.

I was diagnosed in March 2014(lovely birthday present),I get reviewed every 3 months at the moment and my DN makes sure I have appointments for blood tests and next review before I leave the surgery. Obviously some clinics are better than others,but if YOUR not getting the care YOU believe YOU SHOULD be getting,TELL THEM. If you don't tell them they are doing it wrong,how are they going to know.

My review is triggered by my repeat prescription,it has so many repeats
left printed on it,when it gets to the last one they tell you when picking up prescription, to make an appointment before my next prescription is due.

I wouldn't have said it was more cutbacks, just good time management on the surgery's part.
I'm registered with a GP, but also under the care of a hospital diabetologist. As I'm Type 1, the diabetologist is much better equipped than my surgery to care for me and my diabetes, as the surgery may only have a handful of Type 1s and hundreds of Type 2s.
The GP will also get paid for certain tests and checks, such as micro albumin and possibly HbA1C. The former is useful for me and should be done at least once every 12 months (NIHCE guidelines), whereas the latter - although expected on a regular basis - is useless on me (always gives a false low reading.) So, the GP would be further out of his depth on that.
So, as I say, good time management and picking up the patients that need/want the care from the GP. That's just a personal viewpoint though.

I get regular letters to attend the Asthma Clinic it states on the letter if I don't attend for a review I will not get a repeat perscription of my inhalers. So I have to go and I hate it! The nurse at my surgery is horrible