# Downing Street hosts diabetes event to thank NHS



## Northerner (Jun 26, 2019)

*NHS staff and diabetes charity workers from across the UK were celebrated at a Downing Street reception hosted by Theresa May.*

Those attending the reception on Monday, June 24, included children and adults with diabetes, people who care for those with diabetes, specialist NHS staff and academics and innovators looking at prevention, care and researching for a cure.

The Prime Minister has type 1 diabetes and wears a small sensor to measure and monitor her glucose levels. She spoke about living with diabetes and encouraged the young people there not to let diabetes ‘get in the way’ of achieving their goals. She also heard from guests about their pioneering work in this field – including from those who were developing new apps to help people monitor their condition.

https://diabetestimes.co.uk/downing-street-hosts-diabetes-event-to-thank-nhs/


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## mikeyB (Jun 26, 2019)

If I find out Theresa May got her Libre on the NHS I’ll spit. Good that she’s raising consciousness, and encouraging research, mind.


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## novonord (Jun 30, 2019)

Theresa May is entitled to a Libre on the NHS, as a type 1, and taxpayer, if she fulfills the local criteria in Maidenhead...just as I am entitled to free prescriptions as I fulfilled the criteria for the last 40 years...no easy life being type 1 and PM, I guess....


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## mikeyB (Jul 1, 2019)

Entitlement to a Libre is limited. I’m Type 1, and a taxpayer, and I probably would fulfil the local criteria. But I’m not applying because I can easily afford it, as Mrs May can, because I don’t want to deprive someone worse off of an opportunity. 

And there are countless thousands with T1 who work a sight harder than the PM; in case you hadn’t noticed we’ve had no government for three years.


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## Docb (Jul 1, 2019)

I saw Mrs May's comment in the house of commons when she made it and it summed up her approach to many things.  What she says is true but is never the whole truth.  She said Libres are available on the NHS but did not mention all the caveats about qualification and differering attitudes of different comissioning groups.  I once met somebody who wrote a report which she quoted in parliament.  Same thing. Quoted a phrase which made her look good but neglected to mention the caveats which made her assertion invalid.  I suspect that the inability to tell the whole truth is ingrained in her approach to politicsand I suspect that is the main reason she could not carry her party, or anybody else, with her.


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## novonord (Jul 1, 2019)

mike

the alternative to the Tories is an extreme left wing racist cabal, which would wreak havoc on this country, worth remembering that McDonnell when asked to name 5 successful Marxist economies was unable to....


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## Northerner (Jul 1, 2019)

novonord said:


> the alternative to the Tories is an extreme left wing racist cabal


Not sure who you are referring to there, the Labour party's policies have proved very popular and are in fact very similar to the social democratic policies of many Scandinavian governments. As for racism, might I mention Windrush, hostile environment, institutional Islampphobia? Maybe if the self-interested media were more even-handed (or even simply on the evidence of the past 9 years) then your views would be less blinkered


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jul 1, 2019)

Folks, let’s keep our political opinions civil, and not fall into the easy trap of hyperbole and exaggeration.

Regarding access to the Libre, it is important to say that there is (as of April this year) one single mandatory set of criteria for all areas and CCGs set by NHS England. The intention is to distribute Libre to approx 20% of the T1 population using funds which CCGs can only access for this purpose (so there is no economic benefit in not doing so). Online training exists and is freely available so that CCGs cannot (or at least should not) hold people in an endless queue saying that they need to wait for a place etc.

CCGs which are falling short of the (minimum) 20% target are coming under increasing pressure to sort themselves out. I’ve posted the guidelines elsewhere once or twice, but the short version is that if your management is intensive enough to check 8 times a day, or if fingersticks are impractical - you should qualify.


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## grovesy (Jul 1, 2019)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> Folks, let’s keep our political opinions civil, and not fall into the east trap of hyperbole and exaggeration.
> 
> Regarding access to the Libre, it is important to say that there is (as of April this year) one single mandatory set of criteria for all areas and CCGs set by NHS England. The intention is to distribute Libre to approx 20% of the T1 population using funds which CCGs can only access for this purpose (so there is no economic benefit in not doing so). Online training exists and is freely available so that CCGs cannot (or at least should not) hold people in an endless queue saying that they need to wait for a place etc.
> 
> CCGs which are falling short of the (minimum) 20% target are coming under increasing pressure to sort themselves out. I’ve posted the guidelines elsewhere once or twice, but the short version is that if your management is intensive enough to check 8 times a day, or if fingersticks are impractical - you should qualify.


I was going to say I am still reading people reporting difficulties in getting prescribed.


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## Docb (Jul 1, 2019)

Agree with you everydayupsanddowns.  My observation about Mrs May was as much a comment on modern politics as anything and I doubt if anybody else of any creed or colour would be much different.  Feeding the news and social media has become a major part of the job and too many politicians do not think much beyond the immediate response they will get to what they come out with.  Intellectual rigour has all but disappeared.


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## mikeyB (Jul 1, 2019)

You are right, of course, everydayupsanddowns, but the National guidelines are being ignored by some CCGs. That’s where the problem lies. So get rid of the CCGs. Simple, the money saved will easily cover the cost of Libres.


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## Eddy Edson (Jul 1, 2019)

Docb said:


> Intellectual rigour has all but disappeared.



Was there some golden age when intellectual rigour dominated politics? I can't think of one!


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## ypauly (Jul 1, 2019)

The NHS and the treatment itbprovides is not and should never be means tested, if there is a clinical requirement it should be provided, being Prime Minister does not change that.


Ot also doesn't matter wjat colour rosette our leaders wear as the NHS would still face many challenges, I for one think we have the best health service in the world


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## mikeyB (Jul 2, 2019)

Don’t know about best in the world, but at least it’s still free when you eventually get treated. And I’m seriously unconvinced that NHS England is the best in the UK.


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## ypauly (Jul 2, 2019)

mikeyB said:


> Don’t know about best in the world, but at least it’s still free when you eventually get treated. And I’m seriously unconvinced that NHS England is the best in the UK.


Is there a different healthcare system you favour in another country?genuine question as I would love to take a look at it


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jul 2, 2019)

In diabetes terms we lag behind various other European countries in terms of some measures and outcomes - but I still think we have a genuinely world-class healthcare system which is free at the point of delivery - and am quite worried about its future.


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## Northerner (Jul 2, 2019)

ypauly said:


> Is there a different healthcare system you favour in another country?genuine question as I would love to take a look at it


My Dad lived in the Netherlands for the last 30 years of his life - he had mouth cancer and various other health issues (psoriasis, shingles) and was looked after extremely well by their health service, despite not being a Dutch national. My impression was that it was much easier to get timely appointments, even with specialists, than here, although my experience has been a big decline here since my diagnosis in 2008 undeniably due to underfunding generally in the NHS over the past decade  How my Dad would have fared post-Brexit though who can say?


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## ypauly (Jul 2, 2019)

I think one of the NHS problems is down to our political system where any negative aspect is pounced on by whoever is in oposition, this leads to things like recruitment issues as people are put of by negative media. I really believe our system is great, and would agree, funded properly could be even better but I have yet to see a system I want to swap with.

A simple formula would be X amount of tax taken by the treasury and the NHS automatically gets 20% or something along those lines so its no longer a political football


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## mikeyB (Jul 2, 2019)

It will always be a political football when one political party is committed to privatising large parts of NHS England. In Wales and Scotland it’s less of a political football, because there isn’t that dichotomy between parties. Still short of money, mind.


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## ypauly (Jul 2, 2019)

One party is NOT committed to the privatisation of the NHS in fact the party you speak of had to slow down Labours privatisation plans which come about due to EU competition rules.

It's statements like that that put people off


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## mikeyB (Jul 2, 2019)

Public services are exempt from EU competition rules. That’s how CalMac in Scotland staved off private companies from grabbing lifeline ferry crossings to the Inner Hebrides. It’s also how come most European train services are nationalised, including all the European train companies who run our trains. 

Public health trumps everything under EU regulations. When Scotland introduced alcohol minimum pricing, the Scottish Whisky industry fought tooth and nail against it, taking it to the European Court on the basis of restriction of trade. The European Court booted them out, saying it was a health issue and it was perfectly appropriate for Scotland to do it. 

Furthermore, if EU competition rules apply to England’s NHS, how come they don’t apply in Scotland?


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## novonord (Jul 2, 2019)

of course, General Practice, some would say the jewel in the crown of the Nhs, has since its inception been effectively privatised insofar as GPs act as independent contractors not direct employees,
other than that, I don't see much push towards privatisation, on the contrary see some evidence of the NHS abusing its position where I work with leasing out space to Costa coffee in the foyer followed a few weeks later by the NHS setting up its own coffee shop next door in competition.
personally can't see any harm in allowing private sector contracts where they can produce the same quality cheaper or faster, for ancillary services such as laundry, cssd, catering, pharmacy or where there are seasonal capacity constraints in NHS premises.


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## mikeyB (Jul 2, 2019)

I’ve got no problem with non clinical services being privatised, but when private companies take over NHS  hospitals and GP practices, as has happened in England, that is when problems arise, because the sole reason for private companies to do that is profit. In fact, Richard Branson sued the NHS for £80m for booting his company off a contract that they’d failed to deliver on. That’s what you get from privatisation.


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## novonord (Jul 3, 2019)

can't see any problem with companies making a profit- if they can provide the same service cheaper faster at the same quality and also turn a profit- good luck to them... the profits will be taxed and the tax ultimately pays for public services: without profit there would be no public services.


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## mikeyB (Jul 4, 2019)

No, without tax there would be no public services. Profit has little to do with it. Just ask Amazon and Google. Amazon don’t pay many of their employees enough to pay tax anyway.

Remember, the NHS used to run these services reasonably efficiently, with transparent costs. (And workers looking forward to NHS pensions.)


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## novonord (Jul 8, 2019)

Corporation tax, tax on company profits, raised £56bn for the exchequer and rising in the tax year ending April 2018...would pay for just under one half of the NHS, by my reckoning. Don't see how this money would be available were all industries to be nationalised.


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