Moving CCGs with a pump

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helli

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Type 1
I am on my second insulin pump. My first was an Animas (no longer available). I loved the control is gave me but I hated that it was on display all the time. As I am slim, there was nowhere to hide it.
When Animas withdrew from the pumping scene, my CCG chose Medtronic - another tubey pump which was even larger than my Animas. I requested an OmniPod but was told it was too expensive and would not be approved.
Coincidentally, Medtrum approach my diabetes team. Like OmniPod, their pump is tubeless but it is cheaper. I was offer it as the local guinea pig and have been using it for the last 18 months. It is not perfect but I like it and I like the small UK team who are very responsive. They achieve this because the Medtrum still has not got a large following in the UK.

It is early days but my partner and I are considering moving, This could mean moving to a new CCG.

So, the reason for this long preamble (sorry) is to ask for people's experience moving CCGs with a pump. Does the new CCG have to respect the decision to have a pump and the choice of pump? Could I be forced to revert to a tubey pump or, worse still, could I lose the pump?

I appreciate every person and every CCG is unique but I appreciate reading any personal experience. I am trying to decide whether the CCG should be a consideration for my move (like parents consider schools)
 
I think this is a really good thing to be thinking about. I don't think my pump team would be happy supporting someone with a pump they didn't know and then as you say,there is the issue of the CCG and whether they would find it. I would definitely look into the options of hospitals / ccgs if you have a choice where you are moving too.
 
Welcome to the forum @helli

I am sorry I can’t advise as I have never moved CCG. It is good that you are looking into this.

I do know that our specialist team, like others, support specific pumps which the team have been trained on so that they can offer support. Having said that each of the pumps provide very effective support for their own models. Apart from the pump star I do not rely on the DSNs for any help. To be honest I use others on here or the pump care-line.

Others may have more experience.
 
Why don't you ask your existing clinic if they know whether the pump is supported elsewhere in the UK other than wherever you are now? I mean when there's limited roll out of medical technology I think they usually start with a few different places to assess how it's going on a varied cross section of patients rather than only one specific place.
 
INPUT (now part of JDRF) used to be the specialists first advice and support in this area. They may still have the old articles on their website somewhere.

You could speak to the DUK helpline too (number at the top of the page). You aren’t the first T1 to move house, so I am sure there will be standard arrangements to help - or if not there should be!!
 
Thanks guys.

I have very good relationship with the Medtrum team (one of the things I like about them is there are so few of them and us they know us well). I will ask them which CCGs they supply. My expectation is they will know more than my current DSN. Although she is very good, she quickly realised I was going to learn my way around the Medtrum pump by using it every day than she ever was.

I was hoping someone may have personal experience (rather than what should happen in theory because we all know ...) of moving their pump from one CCG to another. I appreciate each CCG is going to be different but some personal experience may give me an idea what to expect.
 
I don't think I have seen anyone say they use Medtrum pump.
Unfortunately everything Diabetes varies so much it is a postcode lottery.
 
There has been a reasonable amount of discussion about it from 2018, on this forum. But not exactly common. Just type Medtrum in the Search box.
 
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