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Labour Mp Claims Postcode Lottery Is Blocking Type 1 Diabetes Technology Access

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Labour MP George Howarth has written about how the benefits of type 1 diabetes technology in the UK are limited due to a postcode lottery of access. Writing in Politics Home , the Labour MP for Knowsley stressed that improving technology access today can inspire a better tomorrow for those with type 1 diabetes. Among the significant technology advances in recent years include artificial pancreases-like devices, made up of a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and an insulin pump. Elsewhere the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitor was made available on the NHS last year. "Two of the technological treatments for type 1 diabetes today are the insulin pump and the CGM - yet uptake and use remain low," said Mr Howarth. "This is despite the UK’s strong position as a pioneer of biotech, and its role in developing the artificial pancreas - the type 1 diabetes treatment of tomorrow. "Access to this technology is crucial to help avoid health complications and to boost quality of life. It is for precisely this reason that I raised the issue in a Prime Minister's Question last week: because the benefits of type 1 diabetes technology are often blocked by a postcode lottery of access." The postcode lottery of diabetes care in the UK has long been under fire. This has meant that some people have been able to access diabetes education more easily than people in other parts of the country. Access to the FreeStyle Libre, a finger-prick free method of monitoring sugar levels, currently varies significantly across different regions of the UK. "Not only do people with type 1 diabetes deserve access to the best technology on the NHS - they need it," added Mr Howarth. "Given that a third of children with type 1 diabetes had to be referred to psychological services in 2016-2017, the impact of the artificial pancreas for those with type 1 diabetes, their parents and partners - cannot and should not be underestimated. "If the NHS addresses the issue of access today, a pathway is cleared to tomorrow's technology, which will have an enormously beneficial impact for people with type 1 diabetes." Mr Howarth's column follows a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Thursday, where the unacceptable inequity and variation of care to diabetes technology was discussed. His full column can be read here.

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Healthcare in the NHS has for many years been a “postcode lottery”. Add to that the inequities of poverty, literacy, gender, education and the capacity to represent self, all result in healthcare challenges across the country. Now, I loathe the Tories and what they are doing to the social and healthcare infrastructure in this country but I need to remember the b@stard Blair started off the NHS privatisation agenda. Now to add to the sh1tstorm, public health budget was given to local authorities and I believe there is no requirement to demonstrate the ££ has been spent on health as opposed to...say...mending potholes. Thinking is often dominated by budgets today and long term thinking i.e. if we invest today, in 10 years time we estimate to save xx. No one gives a toss about the future and budgets, it will be someone else’s problem to balance the books. They certainly don’t care about the health gains for you and I.
 
What I find most shocking about the stinginess that reduces access to this technology, is how short sighted it is. We keep hearing how diabetes complications cost the NHS lots of money, as they lecture us about obesity, but then given the opportunity to really improve things, they don't take it, and ration it, as if they were scrooge reincarnated, and paying for it personally.

This sort of short term thinking is embarrassing to watch, as well as extremely unhelpful.
 
Indeed, but as I explained above, the managers and budget holders don’t give a toss for the gains in the future, they are concentrating on keeping within set budgets. Their reputations for managing ££ means they go on to more and more senior jobs within public sector. That’s the nature of the beast. Add into that heady mixture, the fact local authorities have the public health budgets and they historically know nothing about healthcare, you can see it really is a pernicious situation. This govt. does not care because mostly they have private insurance for their own health needs and secondly their chums often own or have shares in private healthcare companies.
 
"Given that a third of children with type 1 diabetes had to be referred to psychological services in 2016-2017, the impact of the artificial pancreas for those with type 1 diabetes, their parents and partners - cannot and should not be underestimated. "If the NHS addresses the issue of access today, a pathway is cleared to tomorrow's technology, which will have an enormously beneficial impact for people with type 1 diabetes." Mr Howarth's column follows a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Thursday, where the unacceptable inequity and variation of care to diabetes technology was discussed. His full column can be read here. Unquote :-

Good to see a MP voicing his concern's ........... but sadly it will probably stop there. Type 1 is a hard slog and youngster's find it very difficult and cannot cope with it or are embarrassed or feel 'different' from their peer's and get bullied too. I have a 9 year old granddaughter, diagnosed with type 1 at 2 1/2 years, how she will cope when she enter's the teenage years and Secondary school, I just don't know, it's a worry.
 
If I had young family, I would be concerned too. My solution to this situation is for us all to fight for the NHS, dump the vastly overpaid “management consultants” and fund it properly.
 
I was told there was a 99% chance I’d be funded for a Libre,but buying ‘just a few’ sensors would help. Worrying when the Abbott rep is allowed to blatantly lie? Calderdale Council have said no. I’ve waited 43 years for this technology.
 
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