Birmingham Funding Hole

[El_em]

Are there any other Type 1 diabetics here who have been denied the Omnipod closed loop system because Birmingham NHS trust won’t fund it?

Curious to know whether you have appealed - and if you’ve been successful/unsuccessful. It was suggested I move house (we live about 2 miles from Staffordshire where it is available).

 

[Juicyj]

Are there any other Type 1 diabetics here who have been denied the Omnipod closed loop system because Birmingham NHS trust won’t fund it?

Curious to know whether you have appealed - and if you’ve been successful/unsuccessful. It was suggested I move house (we live about 2 miles from Staffordshire where it is available).

Hi I am local to Birmingham and am aware that funding for pumps has dried up until the next round of funding in 2025, it's not up for appeal more so join the back of the queue. You can get your care transferred to another trust which would save you moving house, you would need your team to sign you off to then join Staffordshire, ask you team about this.

 

[oldgreymare]

@El_em How frustrating for you!

Are you sure it is just a local funding issue? Have you been told that you are a priority patient according to the NICE HCL T1 rollout guidelines (these cover a 5 year period with staggered eligibility). Do you already use a stand alone pump?

The NHS funding year runs from 1 April to 31 March. This can frequently leave patients for many treatments disappointed when there is a lot press about NHS new NICE guidelines , especially (as for HCL) if confirmed late in the calendar when there may be no existing year funds for an Integrated Care Board (ICB) to start implementation.

Assuming that it is only the funding that it is a problem, not your eligibility, then as @Juicyj suggests you maybe able to move health trust. This might be easiest if Birmingham and Staffordshire are both part of the same ICB. When taking part in my recent training for Omnipod DASH (standalone, not HCL) another person training with me had had numerous pump requests turned down in his county, then transferred to my county (both in same ICB) and request went through fairly quickly. Don't know the details of whether this means you switch your entire diabetes clinic care to the new centre.