I feel I am being penalised for doing a good job and the risk of complications that comes with relaxing my management is too great.
This is the thought I have when I read the pump or HCL criteria in other countries. Either you need to have a 'good' HbA1c or a 'bad' HbA1c to be offered a pump or a HCL system.
I'm in Germany and a pump was offered to me (without me bringing it up at all) 1.5 years after diagnosis. I had HbA1cs running regularly around 6.1% (42 mmol/mol) and I don't think that was taken into account.
There were four pumps to pick from, two or three of which could loop. My chosen pump (Tandem t:slim) and CGM (Dexcom G6) are both fully covered by insurance. By contrast, when I was on MDI, I paid €5 a sensor for Freestyle Libre 2 and 3.
Within two weeks of choosing my pump, I was trained and moved onto the pump, even with a few nights' stay at the clinic for basal testing. It was a bit over the top as I know I can figure this stuff out on my own, but I'll admit it was easier having the diabetes clinic team there to suggest adjustments since it was my first pump and it was good to start off on the right foot.
I'm in Germany, so my experience of getting a pump will certainly be different to those in the UK, but I'm really happy with my HCL system.