Diabetic care in general from gp practice.

Annette&Bert

Annette&Bert

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Every tgree months I go to my gp practice where a nurse takes my blood to have my levels tested, she is nit a diabetic nurse. A week or so later when the results are back an appointment is made for me to see the diabetic nurse for the results. She gives me them we have a discussion, she decides with me whether to have more or different kind of meds.

I woukd like to know if this is the same for everyone?
i have never had my weight recorded, my BP taken or my legs and feet looked at.
 
Having quarterly HbA1c is unusual long term but generally happens until levels are better managed and ore stable and a treatment plan has been established. Generally it is every 6 months or yearly for blood tests once the initial diagnostic period is over I believe
Aas regards foot checks and BP and weight, this should be happening annually as well as retinal screening. Hopefully you are getting that, but you definitely should be getting those other checks annually. Perhaps you suffer white coat syndrome and have an agreement to monitor your blood pressure at home instead of getting it checked a the surgery or this is recorded on your notes, but you should be getting your ankle/foot pulses checked and toes tickled each year. Do ask why these checks are not being done as it is important to pick up any changes early to prevent long term damage.
 
My GP surgery invites me to have blood taken twice a year by the phlebotomist (different to the surgery nurse and nothing to do with diabetes). The surgery based DSN reviews the results and contacts me if she is not happy with them.
The surgery has never looked at my feet (or even asked if they are ok) but they have taken my blood pressure once in the 20 years since I was diagnosed.

Every 15 months or so, I am invited to visit the hospital based endocrinology clinic to see someone who knows about Type 1, CGMs and my pump (the GP surgery based DSN does not) where my blood pressure is taken and occasionally my feet are tickled. Sometimes they weigh me, sometimes they don't. They rely on the results of the last set of surgery based bloods.

Retinal screening is done annually by a completely different team at a completely different clinic.

I have not had a quarterly appointment since initial diagnosis.

I think the conclusion is ... it varies.
 
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Annette&Bert said:
Every tgree months I go to my gp practice where a nurse takes my blood to have my levels tested, she is nit a diabetic nurse. A week or so later when the results are back an appointment is made for me to see the diabetic nurse for the results. She gives me them we have a discussion, she decides with me whether to have more or different kind of meds.

I woukd like to know if this is the same for everyone?
i have never had my weight recorded, my BP taken or my legs and feet looked at.
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No I wouldn't think so. I have my Hba1c discussed. I am weighed, height taken, blood pressure taken and feet looked at and prodded every year in my case
 
Thanks folks. It used to be every six months, but I had many ups and downs and awful side effects with meds, so that's when it became quarterly. They check my weight annually and my bp.
 
I have my Bloods done at least twice a year, the HCA that takes the bloods, does the weight , feet check, and blood pressure at least once a year. Then I have the follow up either in person or phone with the Diabetic Nurse with the blood results a short time later.
 
Once a year for me. It had a blood test after 3 months, then a second 3 months after that and was then told it was a year.
 
Annette&Bert said:
I woukd like to know if this is the same for everyone?
i have never had my weight recorded, my BP taken or my legs and feet looked at.
Click to expand...

Good that you are getting regular appointments and they are keeping a close eye on how you are getting on with meds.

It’s a bit odd that some of your annual checks aren’t happening though. You should usually expect to have your feet checked, your weight, and BP recorded at least once a year?
 
I have a yearly check up with my diabetes nurse, blood , wee , height ,weight , feet checked visually and with an ultrasound and tickle tested, I do my own blood pressure testing at home and she is happy to use these as I suffer from white coat syndrome and my blood pressure goes crazy while I'm at the surgery . Next one is booked for beginning of October .
 
Postcode lottery I think - My GP is very good - I have an annual review including bloods from the practice nurse - with Height, weight, BP, feet checked, injection sites checked - and this is followed up with an annual review from DSN (approx 6m later) at the hospital where she looks at my data from Libreview as well as all the aforementioned - only have one HbA1c check a year though (and it's always a couple more than what Libre says) - Retina checks annually too (thankfully, it stings!!)
 
I seem to recall I had HbA1c every six months for a long time. The only person who ever loojs at my feet is my chiropodist who I go to privately every six or eight weeks, she used to work at the clinic in my tiwn of the NHS where diabetics were sent with foot problems so she us very knowledgeable. I had not been happy with my diabetic meds but I did get on well with Trulicity which I took together with Metformin until it became unavailable so now on Rybelsus I think combined with this is perhaps the reason the DN has seen me more regularly. I have Venous Insufficiency as well as Periphoral Arterial Disease in my legs, but it only shows in my right leg, I don't have leg ulcers because I take great care of my legs and moisturise them well, but I know my feet are not as they once were. I have been told as long as I take care of the skin on my legs I need never have ulcers. I also have Aortic Stenosis and was advised to have valve replacement, however I have refused.
Yes I also have my diabetic retinopathy check annually. I have only been with thus gp practice since 2019 and don't rate them.
 
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It's the same for me as well.A nurse would take my blood and when they get the results my diabetic nurse Helen would contact me to discuss the findings.
 
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Martin62 said:
I have a yearly check up with my diabetes nurse, blood , wee , height ,weight , feet checked visually and with an ultrasound and tickle tested, I do my own blood pressure testing at home and she is happy to use these as I suffer from white coat syndrome and my blood pressure goes crazy while I'm at the surgery . Next one is booked for beginning of October .
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That’s the set of checks I get too. 12 monthly at the GP, then I also get an annual pump clinic at the hospital. I try to keep them 6 months apart, but they always seem to drift together with delays etc
 
I get no gp input for my diabetes...just the clinic. Oh, and flu/covid jabs, statins
 
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