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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
REVIEW
- Thread starter rosalindb
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Deleted member 21371
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Mine were always good.
Just tell the nurse everything, if you're straight with them them can usually help more.
Just tell the nurse everything, if you're straight with them them can usually help more.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
It all depends on what the practice is set up to do.
I got a letter telling me to go for an annual review, not at the local surgery, so I travelled to the address given and no one knew what was going on when I got there, so I turned around and came home.
You might find someone really useful waiting to see you - it is just luck I suppose.
I got a letter telling me to go for an annual review, not at the local surgery, so I travelled to the address given and no one knew what was going on when I got there, so I turned around and came home.
You might find someone really useful waiting to see you - it is just luck I suppose.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Generally a review will involve a blood test (if you haven't had one in advance of the appointment) to check your HbA1c and usually cholesterol and liver function etc, blood pressure, weight and height and a toe tickle examination as well as reviewing any meds you are on and discussing your diet and activity levels and general progress. It is usually carried out by a practice nurse who has had some training in diabetes management, but it can be quite variable as to how much knowledge and experience they have.
It is always a good idea to go armed with any questions you have or anything you want to gain from the appointment. Like, perhaps you might like to be referred onto an education course or see a dietician or perhaps a podiatrist if you have any problems with your feet. Or maybe you are having problems with side effects of some medication and want to discuss other options or want to come off medication and try with diet and exercise alone if your HbA1c shows significant improvement. Perhaps set targets for your next appointment and an action plan to try to achieve them The nurse is there to support you with your diabetes management so think about what ways you may need their help to achieve your goals. Maybe you need some support to lose weight. There are referral schemes in some areas for swimming or aerobic classes I believe or possibly weight loss programs.
Your relationship should be a partnership, so don't feel that you don't have any say, because you are the most important person who manages your diabetes day by day and meal by meal and the nurse is there to support you with that even if you only see them once or twice a year. Show them that you have done some research and want to be actively involved in improving your condition and that may mean they are more likely to refer you onto schemes as they will want to encourage people who want to help themselves. That should make their job more satisfying if they feel that you are motivated to get control of your BG levels and improve your condition.
It is always a good idea to go armed with any questions you have or anything you want to gain from the appointment. Like, perhaps you might like to be referred onto an education course or see a dietician or perhaps a podiatrist if you have any problems with your feet. Or maybe you are having problems with side effects of some medication and want to discuss other options or want to come off medication and try with diet and exercise alone if your HbA1c shows significant improvement. Perhaps set targets for your next appointment and an action plan to try to achieve them The nurse is there to support you with your diabetes management so think about what ways you may need their help to achieve your goals. Maybe you need some support to lose weight. There are referral schemes in some areas for swimming or aerobic classes I believe or possibly weight loss programs.
Your relationship should be a partnership, so don't feel that you don't have any say, because you are the most important person who manages your diabetes day by day and meal by meal and the nurse is there to support you with that even if you only see them once or twice a year. Show them that you have done some research and want to be actively involved in improving your condition and that may mean they are more likely to refer you onto schemes as they will want to encourage people who want to help themselves. That should make their job more satisfying if they feel that you are motivated to get control of your BG levels and improve your condition.
I have had two and a half reviews recently, so I can compare them!
1/ December: At the G.P. surgery.
This is with a practice nurse or their diabetic lead health care assistant. When you arrive you are given a pot for a urine sample, which you hand over when you go in. You are weighed, do a blood pressure check, and a foot check (shut you eyes, say when you feel something), and asked questions. How is your control, how are you coping, getting a general impression and making sure everything is okay so they can advise you where you need it or refer you elsewhere if necessary. At the end you are given a blood test form for HbA1c, cholesterol, and kidney function. This can be used at the two hospitals in he borough or the phlebotomy centre in the south. It takes about ten minutes, and is mostly spent watching them filling out a form on the computer.
At which point I thought I at least that was done for the year, but…
2/ May: At the diabetes clinic, by phone.
The appointment is in two parts, the first in person is with a healthcare assistant who takes you pot of urine, weighs you, checks your blood pressure and feet, and also takes a blood sample. Although this should save going elsewhere for the blood test, this is also the phlebotomy centre. Before the waiting area they shared was closed for construction, it used the room directly opposite. A week later the diabetic nurse calls to go over the test results.
No idea why they wanted to do a full review again so soon after the last one yet, though I was referred to come in and see a consultant, at least I could say it was done for the year, but…
3/ June: At the diabetes clinic, in person.
A nurse will take you pot of urine, check weight and blood pressure. They will also do a finger test to get your blood glucose level, but then scoop up the rest of the blood. They plugged my main glucometer into the computer to download my results, then told me to stop using my other one because it is too old for the them to download from. Hmph. After asking questions and filling forms, they dip a strip in the urine and read your HbA1c off the machine that was analyzing the scooped blood. As I had been tested recently they did not do the other blood tests, so I do not know if the machine does those too, and nor did I do a foot test.
No idea why I had to do most of the review again so very soon after they last one, but though I was referred by the consultant to see him at the hospital diabetes and endocrinology service, at least I was done for the year…
At that point I will be shocked not to mostly go through a review again next month, and probably with a kidney function test as the nurse had to get permission to skip it last time. The especially stupid thing is I do one every fortnight, but at a hospital in a different borough so they have no access to those results.
The only major difference between the three experiences was that only at the surgery did they ask about mental health, which is the bit I do not like. Possibly because they are a general practice they are interested in more than just how you feel about your diabetes, so with the specialist clinic they are more focussed on just that question and not your general mental health.
I also never got any results from the urine or blood back from the surgery, but I think the just assume everyone can use their online service which will show them. I cannot, they know this because I have complained to them, the N.H.S., and my M.P. about it. I just assume they will say something if there is a problem, though I am probably just naïve. But as I had an appointment with the diabetic nurse shortly after their review, I got my results from them anyway.
1/ December: At the G.P. surgery.
This is with a practice nurse or their diabetic lead health care assistant. When you arrive you are given a pot for a urine sample, which you hand over when you go in. You are weighed, do a blood pressure check, and a foot check (shut you eyes, say when you feel something), and asked questions. How is your control, how are you coping, getting a general impression and making sure everything is okay so they can advise you where you need it or refer you elsewhere if necessary. At the end you are given a blood test form for HbA1c, cholesterol, and kidney function. This can be used at the two hospitals in he borough or the phlebotomy centre in the south. It takes about ten minutes, and is mostly spent watching them filling out a form on the computer.
At which point I thought I at least that was done for the year, but…
2/ May: At the diabetes clinic, by phone.
The appointment is in two parts, the first in person is with a healthcare assistant who takes you pot of urine, weighs you, checks your blood pressure and feet, and also takes a blood sample. Although this should save going elsewhere for the blood test, this is also the phlebotomy centre. Before the waiting area they shared was closed for construction, it used the room directly opposite. A week later the diabetic nurse calls to go over the test results.
No idea why they wanted to do a full review again so soon after the last one yet, though I was referred to come in and see a consultant, at least I could say it was done for the year, but…
3/ June: At the diabetes clinic, in person.
A nurse will take you pot of urine, check weight and blood pressure. They will also do a finger test to get your blood glucose level, but then scoop up the rest of the blood. They plugged my main glucometer into the computer to download my results, then told me to stop using my other one because it is too old for the them to download from. Hmph. After asking questions and filling forms, they dip a strip in the urine and read your HbA1c off the machine that was analyzing the scooped blood. As I had been tested recently they did not do the other blood tests, so I do not know if the machine does those too, and nor did I do a foot test.
No idea why I had to do most of the review again so very soon after they last one, but though I was referred by the consultant to see him at the hospital diabetes and endocrinology service, at least I was done for the year…
At that point I will be shocked not to mostly go through a review again next month, and probably with a kidney function test as the nurse had to get permission to skip it last time. The especially stupid thing is I do one every fortnight, but at a hospital in a different borough so they have no access to those results.
The only major difference between the three experiences was that only at the surgery did they ask about mental health, which is the bit I do not like. Possibly because they are a general practice they are interested in more than just how you feel about your diabetes, so with the specialist clinic they are more focussed on just that question and not your general mental health.
I also never got any results from the urine or blood back from the surgery, but I think the just assume everyone can use their online service which will show them. I cannot, they know this because I have complained to them, the N.H.S., and my M.P. about it. I just assume they will say something if there is a problem, though I am probably just naïve. But as I had an appointment with the diabetic nurse shortly after their review, I got my results from them anyway.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Every year you should get up to 15 regular checks in addition to your retinal screening.
Due to covid restrictions, things might be a bit different with your annual review
www.diabetes.org.uk
You should also have the opportunity to ask any questions you would like, so maybe consider jotting down any questions or queries you have before you go as it’s so easy to get distracted once the conversation of the appointment starts 🙂
Of course there are also often ‘interim’ checkups and chats, which can be a chance to get more input about blood glucose management strategies and tactics, and check on how things are going.
Due to covid restrictions, things might be a bit different with your annual review
Diabetes health checks (annual review)
Diabetes can cause other health problems that can become serious if not picked up and monitored or treated in the early stages. So regular diabetes health checks – sometimes called your yearly or annual review – are part of your routine NHS treatment. What diabetes health checks should I be...
You should also have the opportunity to ask any questions you would like, so maybe consider jotting down any questions or queries you have before you go as it’s so easy to get distracted once the conversation of the appointment starts 🙂
Of course there are also often ‘interim’ checkups and chats, which can be a chance to get more input about blood glucose management strategies and tactics, and check on how things are going.
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