Type 1 diabetes, work and benefits

Your rights at work

Type 1 diabetes usually counts as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, because the law looks at how you would be without your insulin. Your employer must consider reasonable adjustments, such as:

• breaks to check your glucose, eat or treat a hypo
• a private place to inject or change a pump site
• somewhere to store insulin
• time off for appointments and education courses
• flexibility around shift patterns

Most jobs are open to people with type 1 diabetes. Some roles have extra rules, for example driving buses or lorries, or flying.

Free prescriptions

In England, people with diabetes who take medicine, including insulin, can get a medical exemption certificate for free prescriptions. Ask your GP surgery for the form. Prescriptions are free for everyone in Wales.

Driving

If you take insulin, you must tell the DVLA. See living well with type 1 diabetes for the key rules.

Benefits for children

Children with type 1 diabetes often need a lot of extra care, including checks and insulin during the day and at night. Because of this, many families claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for their child. It is based on how much extra care your child needs compared with other children the same age.

Benefits for adults

PIP is based on how your condition affects your daily life. Many adults manage type 1 diabetes independently, and they usually do not qualify on diabetes alone. You may qualify if you:

• need prompting or supervision to manage insulin or check your glucose, for example because of frequent hypos or hypo unawareness
• have complications, such as sight loss, nerve damage in your feet or kidney disease, that affect daily tasks or walking