GP practice wanting to take my Contour Next One away.

[AaronH83]

Has anyone had any experience with this? I received a letter this morning from my practice telling me as a result of a survey funded by Johnson and Johnson, I would be issued with a One Touch Select and my prescription for test strips would be reviewed. I spoke with my pharmacist and he told me this policy had been instigated by my practice's pharmacist.

Now, I have a really physical job that involves a lot of driving heavy machinery and operating dangerous plant. I test between 8 and 16 times a day to make sure I am at a safe level.

I'm very much a creature of habit and the Contour Next One has been working brilliantly for me, the app especially. Being able to see everything graphed out and identify trends has helped so much. I was only diagnosed after a bad bout of sepsis just over two years ago which almost killed me, I went into DKA which just about finished me but with the help of my endo and DSN's and dietician I'm back to probably 85% of what I was beforehand.

My HbA1C has been between 5.8 and 6.3 for the past 18 months and I attribute that to the Contour Next One. I previously used a Verio but I found the information it gave me wasn't sufficient to manage my diabetes.

Long story short, I don't want to give up my Contour. It works for me, I've managed my diabetes well according to my endo and nurses, and I feel that this change is going to put my health in jeopardy. Has anyone else has any experience like this?

(For reference, I'm on 16 units of Lantus daily, Novorapid at a 1u:10g of carb ratio, and my prescription is for 200 test strips a month but my doctor has had no problems prescribing me more if I run out before the month end.)

 

[Northerner]

Hi Aaron, sorry to hear this It does happen to quite a few people and is usually the result of a blanket change to a particular meter because some sort of deal has been done with the supplier. I would suggest writing to the Practice Manager of your surgery explaining why you value this particular meter and how it has helped you to achieve such good, safe levels. Mention any particular attributes, like software, ease of use etc. They need to take into account the fact that this is a particular piece of equipment that you trust and that you would lose the facilities it currently provides. All meters have to conform to the same standards for accuracy etc. but if they were all identical there would be no competition would there? Have a read of the features of the suggested meter and see where you think it falls short.

They shouldn't make these decisions without consulting you, but what they do is send the letter out to everyone then see who complains - most people probably won't. I completely understand your reasons for not wanting to change something you have found to be dependable and suitable for your lifestyle. Good luck! 🙂

 

[AaronH83]

Hi Aaron, sorry to hear this It does happen to quite a few people and is usually the result of a blanket change to a particular meter because some sort of deal has been done with the supplier. I would suggest writing to the Practice Manager of your surgery explaining why you value this particular meter and how it has helped you to achieve such good, safe levels. Mention any particular attributes, like software, ease of use etc. They need to take into account the fact that this is a particular piece of equipment that you trust and that you would lose the facilities it currently provides. All meters have to conform to the same standards for accuracy etc. but if they were all identical there would be no competition would there? Have a read of the features of the suggested meter and see where you think it falls short.

They shouldn't make these decisions without consulting you, but what they do is send the letter out to everyone then see who complains - most people probably won't. I completely understand your reasons for not wanting to change something you have found to be dependable and suitable for your lifestyle. Good luck! 🙂

Thank you! It just really annoyed me this morning. The fact this is being done as a result of something that was funded by a company really sticks in my throat. I always believed one of the foundations of the NHS was no change would be made to your treatment without consulting with the patient and getting consent. I got a list of prices from my pharmacist this morning after I went to see him, and the One Touch strips are almost half the price of my Contour ones, however I believe the benefits of my testing routine outweigh the cost savings they may make.

 

[grovesy]

I am surprised the One Touch are half the price as when I self funded One Touch they were one of the most expensive at over £25 a pot of 25 strips. I suspect the CCG has done a deal to supply them cheaper. Some people find getting their hospital team to contact the GP works.

 

[SB2015]

When they wanted to change my needles! I tried them, then with bruises anywhere that I had used a needle, I explained why I would like to go back to my other needles. We found a compromise and they switched me to a cheaper alternative, but away from the Gluco RX that had been a problem. As others have said most wont complain. If you have reasons with which you can justify sticking with the previous meter, it is worth a letter. If it is just that you ‘like the old one’ that might not work.

 

[VICTOR HILL]

newish BLOOD SUGAR little testing machine TRUE METRIX 60 all the latest technology cost 50 strips £18-50 plus sensor £19-00
very easy to carry small vial with test sensor on top with finger pricker on side
ava BOOTS from an USA company low cost strips .
USE IT FOR WALKING trips
vic

 

[trophywench]

Not much help for a diabetic whose CCG doesn't want to pay that much for strips and who uses the current makers software to his advantage, though, is it?

 

[VICTOR HILL]

no.
but is the cheapest option for blood sugars testing and private funding i know of ..
a cheaper unit is made in KOREAN
VIC

 

[Karsten]

has the practice's pharmacist been on any holidays of late? 😛

I think the other meter has usb software too, but you need to ring up and then the company sends you a free special cable.
A standard USB cable will not work.

Their software will give you similar graphs etc..

Ask the surgery about USB software, they should know about it if insisting you change.

 

[mikeyB]

Aye, most mid range meters have associated software. Some of the very cheap ones don’t, or at least are a bit primitive.

But on topic, any fool can see this is just a loss leader temptation to the pharmacy and practice. As soon as everyone is on their system the cost will go up, as sure as eggs is eggs.

 

[AaronH83]

UPDATE!

Spoke with my practice pharmacist and he agreed that changing my meter would be detrimental. So I get to keep my Contour Next One.

Next step, convincing my endo that I really do deserve that 670g...

 

[grovesy]

Well done, and hope you get the pump.

 

[AaronH83]

H

has the practice's pharmacist been on any holidays of late? 😛

I think the other meter has usb software too, but you need to ring up and then the company sends you a free special cable.
A standard USB cable will not work.

Their software will give you similar graphs etc..

Ask the surgery about USB software, they should know about it if insisting you change.

I used one touch software before, found it terrible for interpretation of my results. I managed to track down my practice pharmacist and after talking with him about how my Contour Next One works really well for me he's given the green light for me to keep my prescription for Contour strips and Microlet lancets (still "as directed" too!)

 

[HOBIE]

UPDATE!

Spoke with my practice pharmacist and he agreed that changing my meter would be detrimental. So I get to keep my Contour Next One.

Next step, convincing my endo that I really do deserve that 670g...

Good for you Aaron. Good meter 😎

 

[AaronH83]

Good for you Aaron. Good meter 😎

I love it. It's the one meter I actually get along with and it's really made me buck my ideas up when it comes to taking responsibility for my diabetes. I can see what I'm doing and log everything, food, insulin, whether I'm ill or stressed, it'll even bring up emergency contact numbers if I'm critically low or high. I know some people will think I'm being silly for being so attached to something and I should be saving the NHS money, but in my opinion I'm saving them money in the long term by doing my best to minimise damage caused by high/low sugars and this meter really does help me. Thanks for your help, support and advice everyone, sometimes it feels like you're alone in the fight and then you come here and you realise there's thousands fighting with you.

 

[AaronH83]

Aye, most mid range meters have associated software. Some of the very cheap ones don’t, or at least are a bit primitive.

But on topic, any fool can see this is just a loss leader temptation to the pharmacy and practice. As soon as everyone is on their system the cost will go up, as sure as eggs is eggs.

I'm glad someone else sees this for what it is. When I saw the phrase "research funded by Johnson and Johnson" it really stuck in my throat.

 

[VICTOR HILL]

Not much help for a diabetic whose CCG doesn't want to pay that much for strips and who uses the current makers software to his advantage, though, is it?

have good xmas brexit down and out

 

[HOBIE]

Its very important to be able to trust your BG meter when T1. 😎

 

[trophywench]

Applies equally to anyone on insulin Hobie, or even Gliclazide probably, not just T1s.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Glad you got to keep the meter that suits you @AaronH83 - FWIW the NHS are *having* to try to do something about spending large amounts of cash on expensive options where more cost effective options are available. In some circumstances it would be like them opting for ££££ Nurofens rather than 25p unbranded ibuprofen. I saw something issued by NHS England last week specifically about BG meters instructing CCGs to use more cost effective versions wherever possible, so I suspect this topic will come up with increasing frequency. It’s a bit like those ‘grocery swap’ TV programmes I think. The annual savings for switching brands of some thugs can be surprising, and many of those families on the programmes are convinced they would absolutely know the difference, until they do the ‘blind’ swaps.

The automatic exceptions are BG meters that link to insulin pumps, and those with bolus calculators. For everything else - I guess people will have to make their own cases, or try the cheaper meter and see how it performs.

The annual bill for BG meters and strips runs to hundreds of millions for the NHS, and for many people a chance in meter to one of equivalent accuracy might make little difference and is worth having.

For others reading, if you don’t get on with the meter’s own software you can often use Diasend to review results, which is pretty good.