Blood Testing

17 posts, 8 contributors

June 30, 2011 09:22 novorapidboi26 DAFNE Graduate NHS Lanarkshire 1,819 posts	I actually email the doctors surgery with the items I need, and then sometimes the next day even I go into my local pharmacy and pick it up, so I dont actually know how much involvement the GP has with issuing the prescription, if any at all, they might just email the pharmacy directly with my request...... The service might be available near you, its definitely much easier than going into the surgery and dropping off your script, saves paper too............
June 30, 2011 09:40 Carolin DAFNE HCP Sheffield Teaching Hospitals 83 posts	JWo said: Edit: Is it true that Levemir is an insulin used by some Type 2s? Maybe this is causing the confusion (for me anyway)? Sadly in my experience, many GPs and practice nurses get confused with insulins (although not all!) The are around 20 different insulins available in the NHS, granted some of them are just different 'brands' of essentially the same stuff. However any of these insulins may be prescribed in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Historically, insulin therapy has been initiated and managed in secondary care (hospital) diabetes services by doctors and nurses who are specialised and highly experienced in diabetes. This does mean that most primary care staff either never get the experience of prescribing / altering insulins, or do it so infrequently they don't build up the necessary skills. So in primary care, they will have lots of experience of managing Type 2 diabetes and prescribing tablets to treat that, but will usually refer patients on to a specialist team (some of whom are based in primary care settings now) when it comes to insulin for either Type 1s or Type 2s. So, unless your GP or practice nurse has been through one of the DAFNE training programmes (DEP - DAFNE Educator Programme; DDP - DAFNE Doctor Programme; DAP - DAFNE Adviser Programme), it is unlikely that they will have even the slightest idea about the DAFNE system and the importance of BG monitoring to enable your insulin adjustments.
June 30, 2011 09:55 JayBee DAFNE Graduate James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 587 posts	novorapidboi26 said: I actually email the doctors surgery with the items I need, and then sometimes the next day even I go into my local pharmacy and pick it up, so I dont actually know how much involvement the GP has with issuing the prescription, if any at all, they might just email the pharmacy directly with my request...... The service might be available near you, its definitely much easier than going into the surgery and dropping off your script, saves paper too............ Unfortunately, this GP surgery can even get the email service right so I avoid it. That was something I was looking forward to using when I first moved to them. Carolin said: JWo said: Edit: Is it true that Levemir is an insulin used by some Type 2s? Maybe this is causing the confusion (for me anyway)? Sadly in my experience, many GPs and practice nurses get confused with insulins (although not all!) The are around 20 different insulins available in the NHS, granted some of them are just different 'brands' of essentially the same stuff. However any of these insulins may be prescribed in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Historically, insulin therapy has been initiated and managed in secondary care (hospital) diabetes services by doctors and nurses who are specialised and highly experienced in diabetes. This does mean that most primary care staff either never get the experience of prescribing / altering insulins, or do it so infrequently they don't build up the necessary skills. So in primary care, they will have lots of experience of managing Type 2 diabetes and prescribing tablets to treat that, but will usually refer patients on to a specialist team (some of whom are based in primary care settings now) when it comes to insulin for either Type 1s or Type 2s. So, unless your GP or practice nurse has been through one of the DAFNE training programmes (DEP - DAFNE Educator Programme; DDP - DAFNE Doctor Programme; DAP - DAFNE Adviser Programme), it is unlikely that they will have even the slightest idea about the DAFNE system and the importance of BG monitoring to enable your insulin adjustments. I got the impression from the doctor that I did see about putting my insulins back on that he didn't really understand my condition generally (advising that I fast, I shouldn't be testing as much as I have (well, I had been ill as well at the time), being reluctant to put my insulins back on for a Type 1... stuff like that)... I almost always expect GPs to not know of DAFNE because I know it's still being rolled out and it takes time. There is one nurse there though, that Jean from my hospital DAFNE team has spoken to that is aware of DAFNE, but this doesn't neccessarily straighten out the problem. It was quite sad really when I had my first GP appointment and the GP (I have yet to have the same doctor twice!) was very dismissive of DAFNE. That doctor is no longer at the surgery because they can't seem to keep hold of staff. On that note, I really must update Jean on progress... Edit: Does any one know fully the "avoid the GP" system that AllanR was speaking about? I don't understand how they can get a prescription without getting it signed by a doctor... does Boots really do everything including give the okay or are we talking about the free collection repeat prescription service? I've been having a search for more information about it online - espeically regarding Exemption Certificate use, but no sources have been clear.
June 30, 2011 13:01 ang78 DAFNE Graduate North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust 12 posts	All my prescriptions are sent to my chosen pharmacy, I just email the surgery and 2 days later pick it up from the chemist. However I'm pretty sure my chemist CAN't change my prescription, it has to be done by the GP. Be handy if they could though!!
June 30, 2011 18:57 AllanR DAFNE Graduate North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust 15 posts	JWo said: I had no idea that that sort of service was avaliable... always thought that you had to go through your GP to get a prescription only... Can you still use your medical exemption certificate when you use that route? If I was to go this way, how does the GP respond? Will they "freak out" like they did about a simple Levemir / Detemir naming, especially if I wanted to add something or change it? That'll be wonderful if all this hassle was cut down considering I don't have much faith left in my GP surgery (which unfortunately was one that I moved to within the past year because it was more convient - I can't move back to my previous doctors because for years they've not been accepting new patients). Only issue is new items since you've never had them before you need to see the GP to get those added. But once it's something I've had before I can easily change quantities and such just by going into Boots. As for exemption certificate when I first had the repeat system setup they asked for the card to add the number to the system, and other than a tick, a signature and a tick list of everything I tend to get to tick off quantities everything's sorted and ready on whatever date I arrange it for with Boots. Even if I run out of needles or strips I can go in and request some for next day (only a small boots here so don't always have everything in stock). But it is a great service and saves having to go to the GP unless I really have to. Not sure howit's handled behind the scenes or if Boots have to contact the GP, but if they do they've never had any issue getting anything which I've had before.
July 01, 2011 08:22 novorapidboi26 DAFNE Graduate NHS Lanarkshire 1,819 posts	I think most people dont have a problem going into get strips and the like, its having to go in say every week because your doctor is not giving you enough tubs of strips with each prescription....... I get issued two pots of strips each time, which is 100 strips, 10 tests a day max, so about 3 weeks my strips last, which for me is fine.........
July 01, 2011 09:06 JayBee DAFNE Graduate James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 587 posts	AllanR said: Only issue is new items since you've never had them before you need to see the GP to get those added. But once it's something I've had before I can easily change quantities and such just by going into Boots. As for exemption certificate when I first had the repeat system setup they asked for the card to add the number to the system, and other than a tick, a signature and a tick list of everything I tend to get to tick off quantities everything's sorted and ready on whatever date I arrange it for with Boots. Even if I run out of needles or strips I can go in and request some for next day (only a small boots here so don't always have everything in stock). But it is a great service and saves having to go to the GP unless I really have to. Not sure howit's handled behind the scenes or if Boots have to contact the GP, but if they do they've never had any issue getting anything which I've had before. It does sound like that instead of you having to request quantity change at your GP, you do it at your pharmacy instead so it saves you a trip to your GP on top. This won't neccessarily work for me considering my doctors change my quanities without even asking me first and I'm having to go back to my GP more than once to sort it out again.