What was it you liked most about your meter compared to the new sh*** one? The term ‘patient choice ‘ is key. E.g. Convenience, appropriate to carry, good/ better for sport or work, gives you a better quality of life etc; try and find out the cost of your strips compared to the NHS ones and work out the difference. If you’re a type 1 you really should be able to get what you want, type 2’s will have more problems. Consider changing your GP to one using another PCT although this may be difficult, I live on the Bucks /Oxon border so that’s easy for me. I use 3 or 4 meters and after a fight now get the strips I need. My argument for so many is that I use them to calibrate against other and I leave one in my sports kit, one in the car, one’s incorporated into my pump and the other is by my bedside because I am a lazy girl. This makes me a good diabetic though reflected in good HBa1c’s. Hope this helps Alex.