Moving overseas

I haven’t been active here in a long time, but always appreciate people’s wisdom and shared experience here. I will be moving to london, uk from the US in September. I am wondering if anyone has any ideas what I might expect when I get to london in regards to health care. Should I try to stock up on supplies or will I have issues bringing them with me? I currently use the animas vibe with the integrated dexcom cgm.

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Your access to NHS all depends on your status in the UK. As a permanent migrant it will be different to someone temporarily resident in the UK. I suggest that you contact INPUT who are a patient advocacy group for Insulin Pump therapy and technology for England.

They should be able to provide you with the information that you need. Whatever your situation I would recommend that you bring with you as many supplies as you can manage as even with NHS coverage it may take a while to get set up with a GP and a Diabetes Centre.

You might also want to register and post on the Insulin Pumpers UK site. There are lots of posters on there from the London area.

http://www.insulin-pumpers.org/cgi/archives/mail-ip-united-kingdom/

If you are eligible for full NHS coverage, you should get your pump supplies, insulin, strips etc., (plus all other medicines) for free. You may find that CGM coverage is not available. Most UK CGM or Libre users have to self-fund.

Animas Vibe and Dexcom are commonly used in the UK. Animas has a UK office…

Good luck

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Thanks so much! This is super helpful particularly for the additional resources.

I guess the question is - under what circumstances are you moving to the UK?

Are you a UK or EU citizen? If so you will be eligible for for NHS coverage

If not - will you be moving permanently or on a temporary basis?. If temporary, you will be covered under the NHS for emergencies only. You will need to make sure you have insurance cover for the time you will be in the UK. If you are going to be a student, this may also apply - check it out.

Whatever your status, you will need first to register with a GP practice/Health Centre. If you are going to be a student, your University should be able to advise you on this. Once you have registered with a GP practice you will need to ask them to set you up with a Diabetes Clinic (in the UK access to a specialist is always via a GP even if you are going privately). Don’t worry, they are required to do this. However, it would be a good idea for you to have an idea of which Diabetes Clinic you want to attend. There are several world class ones in London. Check with INPUT or post on IP-UK and you should receive advice or recommendations.

If you are going to be covered by your US insurance you will just need to set it up so the costs of supplies are covered. I order mine from the Animas website. For pump supplies I have an account set up so my local NHS provider pays for them. For Dexcom supplies, I have to self fund, so I just pay online using a debit card. There is also a form you need to fill out for exemption from VAT (Sales tax at 20%)

NB - Pump supplies are prescription items in the UK - once you have registered with a Diabetes Clinic, they should sort out a prescription. Insulin, test strips and any other medications will need a prescription from your GP . For obscure NHS budgetary reasons the Diabetes Clinic does not prescribe these. However, they will contact your GP and advise them as to what to prescribe. FWIW - insulin is much cheaper in the UK (about £20 for a 10 ml vial of any of the analogs) so if you are only going to be here temporarily it is probably worthwhile stocking up for your return.

Regards

Joel

I’m a US citizen and going for a job that is permanent/no set end date. My understanding is that I won’t have US insurance-unless I paid for it myself as the company is only located in London. I really appreciate the additional details about the general process like going through a GP to a diabetes clinic. Where I am currently, I can directly book an appointment with the endocrinologist without a referral from a GP. Also to look into Diabetes clinics ahead of time.

It used to be that if you were coming here on an unlimited leave to remain in the UK basis, that you would be fully covered under the NHS. However, the UK government has been tightening the rules so you should establish your status first. Check with your new employers and do contact INPUT - they are experts.

The rules about having to go through a GP for an appointment with a specialist apply here whether or not you are going privately or on the NHS. It won’t be a problem. The NHS rules are that as at T1, you should be under the care of a specialist clinic and not a GP for your Diabetes. Once you have been set up with a clinic, you will not need to go back to a GP for diabetes care. However, you would see your GP/Health Centre for non-D related health issues.

There’s a thread on the IP-UK site today - someone switched to Guy’s Hospital Clinic in London (one of the major teaching hospitals) and rated them very highly.