Hospital steps in to fund pump for Lauren (From Daily Echo)

Hospital steps in to fund pump for Lauren

7:10am Sunday 24th May 2009 in News By Melanie Adams, Health Reporter

Hospital steps in to fund pump for Lauren

A HAMPSHIRE hospital has stepped in to save the day and help change the life of a little girl fighting a life-threatening condition.

Lauren White who has battled with diabetes since she was diagnosed two years ago will soon be able to go to birthday parties and sleepovers thanks to Hampshire health bosses.

Although two hospitals in the county refused to pay for the seven-year-old to have insulin pump therapy to stabilise her condition Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) has found her a hospital that will fund it. The cost to supply and maintain the pump is £2,500.

After speaking to the Daily Echo Lauren’s mum Nicola White approached Hampshire PCT herself and got the go-ahead for funding at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

As reported in yesterday’s Daily Echo Lauren, from Fareham, had been denied the insulin pump therapy at St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth and Southampton General Hospital, despite doctors saying it would stabilise her Type 1 diabetes.

Desperate to stop Lauren having to endure six insulin injections a day and daily hypoglycaemic attacks, her family decided to start raising the thousands of pounds needed to pay for the treatment themselves.

It included a charity fun run which took place yesterday at Titchfield Primary School, which had been organised by Lauren’s nine-year-old brother James.

The White family was overjoyed when they received the news that Hampshire PCT had approved funding.

Nicola said: “It is such a relief to know that Lauren will be getting the treatment she needs within the next few weeks.

“This will give Lauren back her independence because it will mean that I won’t need to always be three steps behind her and she can enjoy going to sleepovers and birthday parties without having to worry about injections.

“We are so chuffed but we really shouldn’t have been forced to go through this nightmare when the funding was available.

“It still worries me that other parents will be told no and not given the other options that are open to them. It’s only because I went to the Daily Echo that I was able to find out that we had options.”

Keith Douglas, director of contracting at NHS Hampshire said that they place no restriction on funding for this treatment and that hospitals which do not provide the service should refer patients to those that do.

He said: “There are a number of providers that deliver this service and NHS Hampshire funds without question patients who comply with NICE guidance.

“We are working with Southampton University Hospital Trust to develop this service in their area.”

Money raised during the school fundraiser will now be donated to Diabetes UK.