Patients struggle to get the tests from their local surgery, report shows
Caroline White
Thursday, 06 April 2017
One in four people had either experienced restrictions, or were refused test strips on the NHS compared to one in five people four years ago, finds a report* issued today by the charity Diabetes UK.
The report draws on a UK wide online survey about restrictions to prescribing of test strips and meters, which ran from March to May last year, and generated 1,248 responses.
It shows that more than half (52%) of people experiencing problems getting test strips had type 1 diabetes.
This is of particular concern as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends all adults with type 1 should routinely self-monitor blood glucose levels, testing at least four times a day, says Diabetes UK.
These short-sighted cost savings cause people real anguish and potential financial distress. It also means people are struggling to manage their diabetes which can lead to serious consequences for their health, so we urge people to challenge restrictions and refusals, commented Diabetes UK Policy Manager Nikki Joule.
As well as being vital for people with type 1 diabetes, anyone with type 2 diabetes can benefit from testing so should be supported to do so if it is helping them to better manage their condition, she added.
She suggested that local policies should allow sufficient choice and flexibility for individual circumstances to be taken into account when prescribing test strips and meters for people with either type of diabetes.
The charity has updated its advocacy pack, on how patients can challenge GPs and nurses when faced with test strip restrictions or refusals.
Dr Stephen Lawrence, clinical lead for diabetes for the Royal College of GPs, insisted that as highly trained and skilled professionals GPs would always make the best decision for every patient.
But at the same time, 24 million of the scarce NHS budget is spent on diabetes care every day and it would be irresponsible not to make the most appropriate use of limited resources, he said.
The benefits of self-monitoring blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes were unclear, and the latest guidance from NICE specifies that most patients do not need to self-test, he pointed out.
Therefore it would be inappropriate to issue self-test strips as a one size fits all, especially when advances in medical treatment and technology are constantly emerging, particularly with newer forms of oral medications that do not cause hypoglycaemia, he said.
He cited a GP initiative in Tower Hamlets which dramatically cut inappropriate use of blood glucose self-monitoring kits among patients with type 2 diabetes without negatively affecting their health.
If thiswas applied nationally, it is estimated that we could safely and responsibly prevent unnecessary testing in 340,000 people, as well as saving 21.8 million of the NHS budget, he said.
Instead, GPs will perform HbA1c tests at set points throughout the year to measure their patients blood glucose level and once these levels have stabilised, the monitoring frequency will be reduced and GPs will then usually offer diet and lifestyle advice to help patients maintain this safe level.
He accepted that people with type 1 diabetes needed to self-monitor to ensure good control of blood glucose levels and help avoid hypoglycaemic episodes. But the frequency of such monitoring will depend on the patients individual circumstances and testing should never be done for the sake of it, he insisted.
* Testing times: restrictions accessing test strips and meters for people with diabetes. Diabetes UK, April 2017.
Go here to read the rest:
GPs increasingly reluctant to give out diabetes test strips, says charity - OnMedica
