SWINDON Clinical Commissioning Group says it is keeping to diabetes treatment guidelines, despite a new report that has revealed a fifth of south-west diabetes patients felt they weren’t prescribed enough blood sugar testing equipment.

Charity Diabetes UK found 22 per cent of people with diabetes in the region said they weren’t prescribed enough test strips, a vital piece of kit to monitor blood sugar levels.

The charity is calling for action and guidance to ensure people with the condition get the appropriate care.

Services available in the town for diabetes patients include Diabetes Community Services, and courses run by the Great Western Hospital’s Diabetes department.

A recent survey ‘Testing Times’, found 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.

An NHS Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group spokesman said it advises all Type 1 Diabetes patients to self-monitor at least four times a day in keeping with guidance from regulatory body NICE

The CCG does not offer routine monitoring of Type 2 Diabetes patients unless the person is on insulin or they have a history of low blood sugar episodes, again in line with NICE guidelines.

There were 12,924 people aged 17 and over in Swindon with diabetes in 2015/16.

The CCG prescribes Contour TS, True You and GlucoJect Dual PLUS varieties of test strips but did not comment on if they had experienced any problems with supply.

The national survey for Diabetes UK found more than half (52 per cent) of people experiencing problems getting test strips had Type 1 diabetes.

If diabetes is not managed well, it can lead to complications such as amputations, blindness, heart disease and stroke.

Diabetes UK says it is also concerned people with Type 2 claiming they were advised not to test their blood sugar which they should be doing.

The charity’s south west regional head Phaedra Perry said: “No one with Type 1 diabetes should have their test strips restricted. It is a false economy and causes people to face stressful decisions about whether to test or not.

“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. We urge people to challenge restrictions.”

and refusals, as people with diabetes in the south west of England tell us that this approach is very often successful.

“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 Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Of greater importance is helping people to understand how to test appropriately and how to use their results to help them improve their diabetes control. This would secure greater savings in the long term than simply restricting essential equipment.”