Many children in Ireland with type 1 diabetes still cannot access insulin pump therapy, which is recognised as being the best therapy for managing this disease, Diabetes Ireland has told TDs and Senators in Leinster House.

The charity briefed politicians at an event on Wednesday in order to highlight the need for more resources in this area. Speaking at the event, Diabetes Ireland chairperson and consultant paediatric endocrinologist, Prof Hilary Hoey, described it as very frustrating that ‘the technology is there, but our children cannot access it'.

"We still see many children not getting access to insulin pump therapy, which is now recognised as being the best therapy for managing the condition, because there is no nurse available in the hospital to educate them on how to use and maximise the technology to most effectively manage their diabetes," she explained.

She said that the charity has been working with the HSE for years in order to develop strategies for both paediatric and adult diabetes services.

Last December, the then-Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, launched a new strategy ‘which put forward a strong platform on which to build a high quality service with equity, local access and support for all children with type 1 diabetes and their families, regardless of where they live in Ireland'.

"As yet, we have seen no progress on implementing this strategy," Prof Hoey told the politicians.

Also speaking at the event, consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Temple Street Children's Hospital, Dr Nuala Murphy, pointed out that consultant paediatric endocrinologists are now ‘urgently required' in Galway, Limerick and the south east of the country, while in Dublin, ‘paediatric diabetes services are overflowing with insufficient clinic capacity to deliver high quality care'.

"We have a shortfall of consultants, nurses and dietitians in each of our Dublin hospitals and with the new Children's Hospital pending, planning for these posts needs to happen now," she explained.

The TDs and Senators were informed that not a lot of extra resources are actually required for this. Currently, 10% of the annual health budget is spent on diabetes, but 60% of this is spent on diabetes-related complications, which are often preventable.

" If 0.4% (€5 million) of that annual spend was redirected towards funding the paediatric diabetes strategy, huge financial savings from preventing diabetes-related complications would be accrued in future years," Dr Murphy insisted.

Meanwhile, according to consultant endocrinologist at St Vincent's and Loughlinstown Hospitals, Dr Ronan Canavan, diabetes is costing the Government €1.3 billion per year, with over €800 million of that being spent on complications.

"We, as diabetes experts, know that we can reduce the staggering amount spent on complications each year. In the past few years, the diabetes community has worked with the HSE in reducing the cost of diabetes medications and devices, making financial savings.

"We need those savings reallocated to provide the manpower resources outlined to cope with the rising numbers and to encourage more effective daily management and better health outcomes," he explained.

He added that a ‘multi-annual resource commitment' is needed to achieve this rather than the ‘annual cap-in-hand approach we all go through to try and get a few additional posts each year'.

"In time, we will then see a reduction in annual diabetes complications spending, which will be good for the Exchequer and more importantly, quality of life."

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that is not related to weight or a sedentary lifestyle. It is not preventable or reversible and is most commonly diagnosed in childhood. For more information on the disease and Diabetes Ireland, click here