When getting a self testing device, is there any exceptions to where you get them free or does everyone have to pay now?
I only work 2 days and my wage pays for our food. My husband works full time and his wage has to cover all the other bills. On top of this we have a 10 year old daughter.
Thanks in advance for your replies 🙂
I had to pay for the machine but get the strips on prescription
This is what I was told but unsure on what device to use as my GP said we have to have the same model as them so they can be calibrated. The consultant at the hospital told me it would be around £300 and the GP said nearly £1000 😯
Also, where do you get the needle from for testing? Does that come with the machine or with the strips? 😕
I got my Coaguchek XS several years ago. It cost about £400. It came with a pen Accu-Chek Softclix. I get the lancets with the same name on prescription too.
Probably best for you to get the same as the one they use at your surgery for calibration. Hope you get support with this. Perhaps you could see if there's a local charity or fundraising group who might be able to at least part fund your machine. Best wishes, Kerry
Hi I had to pay for mine ? about £400 coaguchek Xs,
is the one recommended I believe, the test strips I get on prescription but if you have to pay are about £75.00
The lancets are a couple of pounds I used to get these on prescription too but now I order them from Roche
Would be lovely if the machines were free it makes such a difference
Hopefully one day they will be
Coaguchek XS is the best system so far.
Recently new models have been released by Roche.
You can export data to your devices and upload data to apps/ and export to doctors,
Hi I have the coaguchek XS and it cost £300. The difference between this and the one my GP surgery is just that mine is for a single person only and there’s cost £1,000 as they use it for multiple patients so it’s slightly different but uses exactly the same test strips and is the same brand.
I get the test strips on prescription and buy the lancets direct from Roche - I get 3 boxes for £5 and that’s 150 lancets.
I bought my first coaguchek machine in 2008 and it lasted almost 11 yrs. Got a new one in May-it was about £300. As far as I know they have never been free to anyone.
Test strips are a bone of contention to me as my CCG stopped prescribing them 5 yrs ago yet in other areas people do get them on prescription. They cost around £3 per test. But my surgery have stopped testing now so done through my local hospital with minimum parking fee of £2.50 so guess that evens it out a bit!
Not sure if there is anywhere you could buy a second hand machine or borrow one - hopefully someone might know.
Hi
Speaking from my own experience and as far as I know, you purchase the machine yourself from Roche and for some people they get free prescriptions for the lancets and test strips which you use with it and others have to buy those as well. I did a deal with my GP and agreed to pay for the lancets myself and I get the test strips on repeat prescription. I am careful to use only the amount of test strips per month that I can get away with to keep the price down so that this arrangement continues. (The strips are far more expensive than the lancets) I would have a chat with your GP before deciding on your purchase of the machine. The test strips are not cheap. I would however purchase them myself if the arrangement stopped because the machine has been brilliant and stopped me getting too high as my INR goes crazy at times.
Good luck with it
Kaz
The coaguchek Xs has now been replaced by the INRatio, still made by Roche. It still costs £300 but there are a couple of finance plans to spread the cost out. As I think has been said, the one the doctors surgery use is designed for multiple patients not just one patient and it does cost a lot more. I have never heard of patient using it for home testing.
I’ve home tested for about 15 years. I checked my machine to venous tests (blood taken from inside your elbow) when I first got it to ensure accuracy and do so every 6 months to make sure it is ok.
This is the important test as not every APS patient is accurate on finger prick tests and should only have venous testing, and it seems your surgery don’t know this. You do not need the same model as them either, once your machine has been checked and agreed to venous tests then you can rely on your home testing machine as long as you check it to a venous test regularly.
But check that you are accurate on finger-prick machines before you get one. APS support uk have some machines which they lend out for a short time so that you can check that they are accurate for you.
I have now heard of one or two people getting the machine free on the nhs. And there seems to be a trial going on somewhere in the country to see if it is cost saving for the nhs. But this is still very rare and depends on living in the right area.
Coagucheck self test strips 
Self testing
