How can I get an insulin pump in the UK?

[lsw1997]

Hello everyone!

I was just wondering if anyone out there has ever found a way to get an insulin pump on the NHS without being Type 1? I have MODY diabetes which is rare but closer to type 1 and is still genetic, however I was told because I wasn’t type 1, I couldn’t get any funding on the NHS at all for an insulin pump. I don’t know if anyone else has had the same experience or has been able to find funding elsewhere as I cannot afford to buy it and fun it each month?

Thank you!

 

[Inka]

Hi @lsw1997 Have you looked to see if you would, in theory, fulfil the criteria for a pump? Remember that many Type 1s don’t get them either. The best way to approach it is to identify which criterion you fulfil, identify your issues and how a pump would help them, and show what other strategies you’ve tried and why they haven’t worked. You might still be refused but you would have made a good case so might have a chance in future if not now.

What insulins do you take now? What problems do you think a pump could help with?

 

[Lucyr]

Hello everyone!

I was just wondering if anyone out there has ever found a way to get an insulin pump on the NHS without being Type 1? I have MODY diabetes which is rare but closer to type 1 and is still genetic, however I was told because I wasn’t type 1, I couldn’t get any funding on the NHS at all for an insulin pump. I don’t know if anyone else has had the same experience or has been able to find funding elsewhere as I cannot afford to buy it and fun it each month?

Thank you!

Been told it’s a flat no if T2 too, T1 only, though I think some T3s get them.

 

[helli]

@lsw1997 why do you think you would benefit from a pump?
I have been pumping for 6 years and can confirm that it is not a silver bullet. It takes more work than injecting and most pumps are more on display. My management has improved but this is with hard work using the features of a pump that is not possible through injections.
It is an expensive treatment so, as @Inka says, many people with Type 1 do not have a pump.
I agree with her advice to build a case to justify why it is worth the NHS spending that money on you. in what way would a pump make your diabetes easier to manage and how much effort are you willing to put in to achieve it?