Insulin pumps discussed in Parliament.

[catherinecherub]

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/News/NHS-England-and-insulin-pumps/

 

[Spiker]

Thanks for posting this. I'm slightly none the wiser about the NHS policy on pumps. For example, it's possible (not likely) that the reason only 7% of UK T1s are on pumps is because 93% are well managed on MDI. So it's not exactly clear from the article (or from other sources) what the exact "problem" is that the government is trying to solve. Apart from DUK whingeing that other countries have more pumps than us. That's not an evidence based argument, that's just copying.
I gather from other sources the problem is that there is a "postcode lottery" of uneven access to pumps depending on where you live?

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[Julie1471]

Yes Spiker, their is so much a lottery postcode on pumps, I waited 13 years to get a pump, I was told try this, if that doesn't work we will try a pump and I went round in circles. I was even transferred to my local pumping centre in Ashford(did my Katie course their, we got shown a pump, but also got told, you'll never get one). On one app with the Dr he prescribed the pumps, I came back with answer to all of his, we don't have funding, yes you do spoke those that took over from the pct, not enough pump trained nurse, I replied 2 more are coming online when I've finished my Katie course. The Dr got fed up and asked if I wanted to move to Kings, I looked at hubby and hubby grinned and I said yes please. First app with Professor Ameil, it took an hour, she did a complete check up and even asked hubby, how it had affected the family and himself with trying to control my diabetes. And she asked what we thought a pump would do for me. At the end of the app, she said you need a pump a month later I was using a pump. So yes their is a postcode lottery.

 

[donnellysdogs]

I don't know why more hospitals dont have buddies for new pump persons.

A person using a pump 24/7/365 can be available to help at weekends / evenings when the NHS aren't.

My help from a pump user from this forum when I started on my pump 4 years ago will never disappear from my memory. She was far more help than the NHS and its thanks to her, not me that I learnt so much...


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[Spiker]

That buddy system is a great idea and it would take the load off the pump-trained DSNs, who I guess are the limiting factor.

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[donnellysdogs]

Only thing that is top of their lists though is claims for negligence- not claims for being a great help to othes...


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[Julie1471]

What about, if a DSN, brought in a buddy at your appointments so you got to know them, their is a pump group at Kings but for me it is difficult to get to due to work, kids etc. like this week need to take kids and keep them entertained, which makes it a bit difficult

 

[donnellysdogs]

You dont actially have to meet a buddy to help.. Somebody I have never seen helped me from this forum and I have gone on to help a parent for past 2 years and we have never met. Its nice to have help at the end of a phone line or email ir text sometimes. I did have somebody that used to drive 50 miles to see me when I lived in Wales, and was also available by phone etc for him.

It makes things so much easier for starting up, and yet the Nhs seem to be oblivious to this


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[Spiker]

So are they using buddies in some hospitals but not others? Or not at all?

 

[Omnipod]

Interesting. Funnily enough I waited over a year for funding. i then wrote to my local MP who happens to be Jane Ellison. i got approved within 2 weeks after she contacted my local CCG

 

[donnellysdogs]

I know of one hospital that uses buddies.


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[noblehead]

Pump therapy should be more widely available, if you look at the experiences of people on this forum pumps certainly improve bg control and leads to a better quality of life.

Quite surprised when reading the article that 40% of type 1 in the USA use pumps, we have a long way to go to catch up......

 

[donnellysdogs]

Too often I read on this forum and others that there aren't enough pump trained nurses etc....

That really baffles me, as to why they could not just employ an experienced pumper or buddy system... Nurses that are trained do not have living experience of them, so they are technically less qualified than experienced pumpers...

(I'm on my high horse again!!)- pumps give a much better quality of life and NHS are lagging behind in their approaches..


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[K8tie_x]

I have to agree the knowledge I have gained from pump users from this forum has been invaluable to me and I would not be in the position I am in feeling comfortable with the pump without this forum.

It's ashame the struggle people have in getting a pump when in the long run they are most probably saving the NHS lots of money. Unfortunately though like the majority of everything these days it all boils down to costs and funding, it seems that the government think priority lies elsewhere. My consultant was saying to me on my last appointment that they wanted to completely get rid of specialist diabetes care and leave it in the hands of GPs, I will never forget my go telling me my hba1c was acceptable when it was 10+!!

 

[Spiker]

There seems to be a too and fro battle between pushing patients to the GP-led local diabetes clinics, vs the hospital clinics. I got the impression it had settled down to a sort of consensus that T1s would be seen at hospital clinics and T2s would be seen at local diabetes clinics. I'm not sure where that leaves T2s on insulin, or any of the people with weirder and funkier subtypes of diabetes.

 

[iHs]

I think its only right "to be a pump buddy" to someone, the person needs to have been using a pump for a number of years. A bit more than 4yrs.
Pumps are only good for those who will bother to do a lot of bg testing and be motivated to take control themselves and not depend too much on someone else doing the control for them.
People are happier using a pump but not necessarily weller

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[Lucie75]

Don't forget that in the USA they are covered by health insurance rather than the NHS so I guess if someone wanted a pump and their insurance covered it, they have greater access to them.

 

[Spiker]

Don't forget that in the USA they are covered by health insurance rather than the NHS so I guess if someone wanted a pump and their insurance covered it, they have greater access to them.

In a way it's the same thing. Individual insurers or HMOs in the US make a decision about whether they will fund pumps, just like the NHS does. They're not obliged to do it. Like NICE in the UK, the insurers make a decision about whether the economics are justified. I guess one difference is that if the economics aren't justified at current premiums, they can raise premiums - everyone's premiums - to make it viable. The equivalent in the UK would be increasing the NHS budget by increasing taxation or public borrowing (or cutting other budgets). Much more difficult to do.

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