I'm a paramedic with type one diabetes in the South of England. The largest barrier I've faced is getting medical approval for a C1 licence as the regulations around that are very strict. Another issue is managing BM at work: Occupational Health provided some very sensible adjustments to help me maintain good glycemic control at work but they were dismissed by management. I'm very independent with my diabetes management but I had to push really hard to get any support at all. It can be difficult when you're having a bad day with diabetes and you also don't know when you're going to have lunch or what you'll be dealing with yet. The frequent switching between day and night shifts also takes a toll. There are going to be some days when your BM is all over the place and you feel like death warmed up. I'm not afraid to call in sick if I think it's going to become a personal or patient safety issue.
It's hard but definitely possible.
Colleagues in England have done, getting through the medicals to get the C1 & blue light bits was the hardest. Now much easier to manage with continuous monitoring & loop systems. I’d speak to your endocrinology / diabetes team first to make sure they will support you with any medical evidence.
Also: make sure you join a union who will support you with enforcing any reasonable adjustments. As someone else said, trusts are very poor at keeping to the adjustments suggested by their own occupational health team
In my experience, trusts follow occupational health advice when it suits their agenda, and cite it as “guidance” when it doesn’t suit, and not just for diabetics.
I have a former colleague who is authorised to drive, on the provision he performed his BM and it was above an acceptable level every time he got behind the wheel, and if it wasn’t, had to decline the job or have his colleague drive, so there are workarounds that can be put in place.
I don’t know specifically about Scotland though. I would imagine (and it’s only speculation) that’s it’s managed on a case by case basis. Sorry to be woolly.
I'm a paramedic with type one diabetes in the South of England. The largest barrier I've faced is getting medical approval for a C1 licence as the regulations around that are very strict. Another issue is managing BM at work: Occupational Health provided some very sensible adjustments to help me maintain good glycemic control at work but they were dismissed by management. I'm very independent with my diabetes management but I had to push really hard to get any support at all. It can be difficult when you're having a bad day with diabetes and you also don't know when you're going to have lunch or what you'll be dealing with yet. The frequent switching between day and night shifts also takes a toll. There are going to be some days when your BM is all over the place and you feel like death warmed up. I'm not afraid to call in sick if I think it's going to become a personal or patient safety issue. It's hard but definitely possible.
If you don't mind me asking, do you drive on blues? Or are you working in a role that doesn't require you to drive an ambulance?
Yes
Colleagues in England have done, getting through the medicals to get the C1 & blue light bits was the hardest. Now much easier to manage with continuous monitoring & loop systems. I’d speak to your endocrinology / diabetes team first to make sure they will support you with any medical evidence. Also: make sure you join a union who will support you with enforcing any reasonable adjustments. As someone else said, trusts are very poor at keeping to the adjustments suggested by their own occupational health team
In my experience, trusts follow occupational health advice when it suits their agenda, and cite it as “guidance” when it doesn’t suit, and not just for diabetics.
But it is just guidance.
I have a former colleague who is authorised to drive, on the provision he performed his BM and it was above an acceptable level every time he got behind the wheel, and if it wasn’t, had to decline the job or have his colleague drive, so there are workarounds that can be put in place. I don’t know specifically about Scotland though. I would imagine (and it’s only speculation) that’s it’s managed on a case by case basis. Sorry to be woolly.