Hello

[Brian Watkins]

Frustrated 73 yrs old type one......cant get an insulin pump ...NHS seem very under resourced to do so.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Brian Watkins

Sorry to hear you are having trouble accessing pump therapy.

Different centres certainly seem to be more ‘pro-pump’ than others, but the NICE criteria for access to pump therapy should apply wherever you live, as laid out in TA151

1 Recommendations | Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion for the treatment of diabetes mellitus | Guidance | NICE

www.nice.org.uk

Primarily the indication for insulin pump therapy is unpredictable hypos that are a constant concern for the person with diabetes when aiming for an on-target HbA1c. Secondly there is a recommendation that they can help reduce a high HbA1c which hasn’t responded to other options.

Do you worry about unpredictable hypos, and have systems and workarounds in place to avoid them?

1.1​

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII or 'insulin pump') therapy is recommended as a treatment option for adults and children 12 years and older with type 1 diabetes mellitus provided that either of the following apply:

• attempts to achieve target haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels with multiple daily injections (MDIs) result in the person experiencing disabling hypoglycaemia. For the purpose of this guidance, disabling hypoglycaemia is defined as the repeated and unpredictable occurrence of hypoglycaemia that results in persistent anxiety about recurrence and is associated with a significant adverse effect on quality of life
• HbA1c levels have remained high (that is, at 8.5% [69 mmol/mol] or above) on MDI therapy (including, if appropriate, the use of long-acting insulin analogues) despite a high level of care.

 

[Inka]

Frustrated 73 yrs old type one......cant get an insulin pump ...NHS seem very under resourced to do so.

Welcome @Brian Watkins I replied to your other thread too. Have you ‘formally’ asked for a pump or have you just mentioned it in conversation and been told it’s not available? What was your last HbA1C?

If you read through the guidance Mike posted, you’ll get an idea of whether you meet the criteria. I was refused a pump the first time I asked, but got it when I appealed. I find you really have to be clear about why you think you should have one (look at the criteria), what problems you think it will solves, and how you’ve tried and failed to solve those problems on MDI. You also have to have very good knowledge of diabetes and carb-counting.