Start Libre - Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
This page is for people who attend Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh diabetes clinics* who are seeking NHS-funded Freestyle Libre use. Please follow the four steps outlined below:
*or Roodlands / Leith
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT YOUR GP OR THE DIABETES CLINIC FOR ENQURIES RELATED TO STARTING THE FREESTYLE LIBRE - PLEASE FOLLOW THIS PROCESS:
1. Am I eligible for NHS Lothian funded Libre?
Specifically, are you on multiple daily injections of insulin (typically 4 or 5 injections per day*) or an insulin pump? If the answer is yes, you are highly likely to be eligible for funded Libre use. The full Scottish Diabetes Group eligibility document can be viewed by clicking here. IF YOU ARE ON TWICE DAILY INSULINS (E.G. HUMALOG MIX 25, HUMULIN M3 & NOVOMIX 30) YOU ARE NOT CURRENTLY ELIGIBLE. If you would like to consider changing to multiple daily injections of insulin, this can be discussed at your next clinic appointment.
* Background insulin - Lantus, Levemir or Tresiba; Quick-acting insulin - Novorapid, Humalog, Fiasp or Apidra
2. Book an education session
Education sessions will be delivered by members of the RIE diabetes team and will take place in the OPD2 (Diabetes Department).
Please book your place by clicking on one of the dates below - this will take you to the Eventbrite booking page. Eventbrite is not affiliated with NHS Lothian. You do not need to sign up to Eventbrite to use this service and their privacy policy can be accessed here. Your attendance at this event will not be visible on Eventbrite to other users.
We are striving to deliver Libre education to as many people as possible - as soon as possible. Unfortunately we do not have the administrative resources to permit telephone booking and would ask everyone to use Eventbrite to secure their place. Telephone or email enquiries would potentially overwhelm our clinical and administrative staff, as we endeavour to get as many eligible patients on to Libre as soon as possible.
Click on a date below to be taken to the booking page:
***DUE TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS, ALL LIBRE START EDUCATION SESSIONS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED***
3. Resources to look at before the education event
You are likely to get much more out of the Libre talk if you have reviewed some background information:
A. BASIC LIBRE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS FROM THE FREESTYLE LIBRE WEBSITE:
Click on the image below to view instructional videos from the manufacturers website - viewing these videos is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for people who have never used / applied a Libre sensor before:
B. RESOURCES ON THE EDINBURGH DIABETES WEBSITE
The following resources from our website are useful tools for improving control in type 1 diabetes and we would HIGHLY RECOMMEND you review the '10 steps guide' and 'Flash Glucose Monitoring Guide' in advance of the education session (NB: there is a separate version of the 10 steps guide for pump users click here):
C. LIBRE ACADEMY
This is a series of interactive tutorials provided free of charge by Abbott (the manufacturer of Libre). This is highly recommended and can be accessed by clicking the image below (sign up required):
D. DTN FLASH GLUCOSE MONITORING EDUCATION PROGRAMME
This is a detailed educational resource consiting of a series of videos and webinars. This not only covers how to get the most out of the Libre but also has detailed information on insulin adjustment and carb counting:
4. Download the Librelink App on your iPhone* or Android phone
Before coming to the education event please download the LibreLink App on your phone (click the image below to be taken to Abbott's website for further information) and create an account. If you don't have an android phone or iPhone 7 or above, please still sign up to LibreView as you can use this with the provided Libre Reader.
IMPORTANT: The account you create on Librelink is also how you log in to Libreview (the webpage to review your glucose results). Please go to www.libreview.com and add the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as your practice - our clinic code is: royalinf
*iPhone 7 and above only (must have most recent iOS update installed)
How to link your Libre account to the Royal Infirmary Diabetes Clinic
1. Log in to libreview.com using your login and password (same as for the Librelink phone App). Click at the top right corner to open up the menu.
2. Click 'Account Settings'.
3. Click the 'My Practices' tab at the top of the page. Type 'royalinf' in the box and click add - you will receive confirmation that you have added our clinic as your practice. You are able to remove this link at any time.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our education sessions
After you attend, a letter will be sent to your GP recommending prescription of Libre sensors.
What next - now that you've started using Libre?
If you are having technical problems with your Libre (sensors falling off early / inaccurate sensors etc.) please contact Abbott Customer Care: 0800 170 1177 - your GP / Diabetes clinic cannot help with these matters.
Click here to download a guide from Abbott for troubleshooting when sensors fall off too early
If your problems relate to difficulties using the Libre, understanding the results or for general advice on improving diabetes control, please contact the diabetes nurse specialists (RIE: 0131 242 1470 or 1471).
All the educational resources available further up this page should be of value in helping troubleshoot.
Click here if you want to look over the slides from the Start Libre education session.
We have also produced a 'Libre Quiz' with a series of practical scenarios and advice on what to do when you encounter them - please click here to access the Libre Quiz.
The best (and most detailed) information on getting the most out of Libre is the DTN Education Programme (see above) - if you feel you aren’t getting the most out of the Libre - please give it a try!
