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Pumps and CCGs

Boysie1985

Active Member
Messages
32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi guys

I've been on the Medtronic paradigm pump for just over 3 years so will be coming to the end of my 4 year warranty in a few months.

Pump therapy has undoubtedly improved my control - I eventually got funded for too many hypos which have now reduced as well as lowering my HBA1C to 6.6%.

Whilst it has been great I do have issues with the tubing. Being an excessive exerciser it is continuously getting in the way and knocked out. I feel a tubeless pump would be the answer. I know the omnipod is probably the leading one out there as well as the newer cellnovo.

Unfortunately the Guildford and Waverley CCG won't fund any tubeless pumps apparently due to cost and failiure rate. So again it's the postcode lottery of certain CCGs providing funding and other not.

I am now looking at Ashford and St Peters hospital to possibly transfer my care to (if their CCG would fund tubeless) - and this is actually closer to where I reside now than my current care team.

Does anyone know if Elmbridge CCG does find the omnipod? Or any other area vaguely near me that does? I currently reside in Walton on Thames.

Obviously once I've found one that does fund it I plan to contact the diabetes specialist to establish if they would be able to get me the funding...

Anyone on omnipod in Surrey - would love to hear from you...

Many thanks

Paul
 
I think your ccg is based on your gp surgery so you wouldnt be moving ccg unless you moved surgery?
 
I think bobcurly is right. You would.have to be registered at a gp surgery covered by the ccg you think might fund your pump which could.be a challenge if you live outside the area? Even if you transfer your care to a different hospital it will still be the ccg for your gp surgery that has to cover the funding.
 
Oh I see. Thanks for your responses. That's understandable. As I say though I am now residing in Walton (previously Guildford). So I should be able to change GP's to this area should the CCG fund tubeless pumps.

Anyone in Surrey had any luck getting an omnipod??
 
I really think you should contact www.inputdiabets.org to get some clarity on the CCG funding pumps issue. They are pretty sensible and helpful it would be worth emailing and asking your question to them.

Your CCG will remain the same no matter what hospital you are at. Your CCG is where you live and where you GP practice is. GPs usually can only take patients from a pretty narrow geographic circumference, so if you've moved and not found a new GP practice you really ought to get that sorted.

My understanding is CCGs fund pumps based on clinical recommendation and there is not much in it cost wise between a tubed pump - where all the cost (~£3,000) is up front and then there are relatively consumable costs of cannulas and reservoirs - and patch pumps - where the up front cost is comparatively low but the cost of consumables is significantly higher. This document suggests the mean annual cost of omnipod as against a tubed pump is pretty much the same - http://ntag.nhs.uk/docs/rec/NTAG-Recommendation-Omnipod-CSII-system-for-Type1-diabetes.pdf
 
I go to St Peters and I got my pump from them back in April. When I was choosing the Omnipod wasn't an option but the nurse did advise if I really had my heart set on it to wait a couple of months as they were reassessing it based on some recent price changes and it might become an option. I didn't want to wait and am happy with the tubed pump so unfortunately I can't tell you if it was approved or not. The nurses there are a pretty friendly bunch though so, my advice is to actually just give them a call and ask, they'd also be able to advise about switching to them.
 
Boysie1985 said:
Whilst it has been great I do have issues with the tubing. Being an excessive exerciser it is continuously getting in the way and knocked out.
Click to expand...

If you mean the cannula is coming out the simple solution is to put some tape about 1cm from the cannula on your tubing. Personally can not see how the heck a large blob of a pod is going to make much difference.
 
I contacted Omnipod directly and asked which hospitals in my area offered the Omnipod. The hospital i was under did not do it,so i transferred my care to another hospital in the same area that offered the Omnipod.
 
I'm wondering what you do with your pump when exercising @Boysie1985? I do weight training, running and play cricket using a pump, and I've had no issues with exercise and the tubed pump. Simply a Spi-belt for the cricket and running has done the job nicely, and I simply wear the pump on my waistband when doing weights.
 

When using weights and heavy bench presses, whilst lifting the weights onto my thighs and then transferring to my chest I have caught the cannula a number of times. Placing on my thighs, buttocks and abdomen have all been caught before. Then there's the issue of swimming where I can't even wear it.

I find that I cant connect to my arms or various parts of my body due to the tubing - when in my arm it lasted a number of hours before being pulled out on the spin bike. With the omnipod I think arm placement would be much easier to do.

I've received a response from omnipod who have confirmed that my hospital in Guildford do actually order from them. So I'm not sure why they are now refusing it - especially now hearing that price wise it isn't actually much more than tubes pumps that they are currently offering.
 
tircoed said:
I contacted Omnipod directly and asked which hospitals in my area offered the Omnipod. The hospital i was under did not do it,so i transferred my care to another hospital in the same area that offered the Omnipod.
Click to expand...

So as others have stated - was it just your hospital that you changed or did you have to change your GP too?
 
Boysie1985 said:
hen there's the issue of swimming where I can't even wear it.
Click to expand...
I have a tubed pump and I swim. Basically, I give myself a bolus equivalent to a basal dose for however long I plan to be in the pool (or how long I have been in if I take it afterwards) and then disconnect. My basal is sufficiently low that an extra .3 units of bolus for 30 minutes swimming doesn't cause a hypo.

Knowing cardio often reduces my BG, I often remove my pump at the gym too.
I have no problem removing it for a shower every day so I don't see the problem with removing it for short periods (and testing regularly) at other times of the day.

To be honest I enjoy these moments without being attached and think I would miss them if I had an Omnipod.
 
I do the same for swimming and top up every 30 mins or so as needed. If snorkeling then try to top up hourly.
 
UPDATE: I have spoken to the pump nurse at St Peter's and she has confirmed they fund the omnipod and I would be eligible if my levels had improved over the 4 years I've been on Medtronic . So I'm now in the process of changing my GP (it was correct that the funding is from your GP's CCG) and then I'm all good to go.

Crazy postcode lottery again and a shame as I was diagnosed and went from children's clinic at the RSCH 20 years ago...
 
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