Third Sector
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A new way to help widen access to insulin pumps
A new online guide which could make insulin pump treatment more available for people with Type 1 diabetes in the UK has been the focus of a parliamentary briefing this week.
Diabetes UK staff attended a briefing about the online tool, the ‘How To Why To Guide for Insulin Pump Therapy’. The event was hosted by Adrian Sanders MP at the House of Commons with contributions from leading diabetes experts. The guide, from the NHS Technology Adoption Centre (NTAC), aims to redress the inequities which exist for the treatment of people with Type 1 diabetes.
The guide was well received by diabetes consultants, diabetes specialist nurses, GPs, pump manufacturers and MPs. It also helps to inform clinicians, particularly diabetes specialists and managers, on how to introduce insulin pump therapy into routine clinical practice for their patients.
Overcoming barriers
The step-by-step guide will provide information about insulin pump technology and report on the experiences of the three NTAC hospitals which are now trying this out as a treatment.
The hospitals are The Whittington Hospital in London, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. The guide explains the barriers to successfully adopting insulin pump therapy and how they can be overcome. Features include an easy-to-use business case template, a costing model and a roadmap section to help clinicians and hospital managers adopt this technique in their clinical practice.
To register for the ‘How to, Why to, Guide’ visit www.howtowhyto.nhs.uk.
Tools and support
Stella Valerkou, Senior Policy Officer at Diabetes UK, said: "Despite NICE guidance, we know pump usage among people with Type 1 diabetes in the UK lags behind the USA and some countries in Europe. This guide provides tools and support to help with the implementation of insulin pump therapy, and we hope it will assist in reducing the current postcode lottery of provision faced by people with diabetes."
Diabetes UK believes that insulin pump therapy should be offered as a treatment to people with Type 1 diabetes as part of a cohesive and comprehensive diabetes service. Appropriateness should be determined by clinical need, suitability and personal choice – not on the basis of where a person lives or their ability to pay.
