Bexley pilots new diabetes test with help from Axis-Shield UK

Bexley Care Trust has purchased three Afinion™ analysers from Axis-Shield UK. The machines will be used to facilitate a new community-based diabetes pilot programme involving a proportion of the 7500 patients with this condition within the Bexley catchment area.

Afinion™ is a unique device that can be used to measure HbA1c levels in the blood of people with diabetes. Monitored on average twice a year, HbA1c tests show how much glucose the red blood cells of a patient have been exposed to over a period of 120 days. The results give medical practitioners an indication of how a patient is managing their diabetes and what they could do to improve their prognosis.

Traditionally HbA1c is tested from a venous blood sample that is taken from a patient during a hospital or GP visit and then sent away for testing at a laboratory. The results are then fed back to the patient in a follow up appointment at their doctors or diabetes clinic several weeks later. Afinion™ changes all this. Giving lab accurate results from a quick finger prick in minutes rather than days, Afinion™ means the management of a patient’s condition can happen more easily in the community, saving patients and the NHS time and money.

Commenting Anne Goodchild, clinical advisor to the diabetes pilot project at Bexley Care Trust said: “Our team first learnt about Afinion™ through a biochemist based at Sidcup Hospital. He had tested the device before and could clearly see the benefits it could have at a primary care level, so we decided to see what could be achieved. Our main motivation was to improve the quality of the service we offer. Being able to test HbA1c levels of our patients and give them their results during the same appointment, means we now have something concrete to discuss with them on the day.”

Continuing she said: “The reaction to the machines has been extremely positive. From a medical perspective, the device is incredibly easy to set up and the instructions for use are clear and simple to follow. And our patients are pleased to be getting this sort of service on their doorstep without having to factor in a hospital visit.”

The team working on the new pilot comprises project and operations managers, nurses, dieticians and podiatrists. They cover Sidcup, Bexley, Welling, Bexleyheath and Erith. Further details on the pilot will be made available in 2009.

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