Hundreds of thousands of NHS patients are already benefiting from new glucose monitoring devices, improving health outcomes and quality of life for those with type 1 diabetes up and down the country.
Approximately eight in 10 people now have access to the life-changing technology, with nearly two-thirds of local NHS areas already offering the devices to patients.
This latest rollout indicates that the health service is “going well above and beyond” its original 2019 Long Term Plan target of ensuring at least 20% of people with type 1 diabetes would benefit from these new devices.
Professor Partha Kar, National Specialty Advisor for Diabetes said: “The NHS has revolutionised diabetes care over the past five years – we’ve seen people living with type 1 diabetes go from having almost no practical way to manage their condition in real-time, to having the option of a life-changing device that automatically alerts patients to potentially dangerous changes to their blood sugar levels.
“As a diabetes clinician, I’ve seen first-hand how liberating this device is for my patients, giving them the confidence to go about their days knowing they are safe and able to enjoy themselves. The majority of the NHS has already rolled out these new devices, but the NHS rollout will continue at pace to ensure both devices are available to every patient across the country by the end of next year.”
The NHS say it is aiming for all ICBs to be offering both the new continuous glucose monitors and the similarly priced flash monitors in 2023, which will in turn ease pressure on NHS services by reducing diabetes-related complications and hospital admissions.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “Hundreds of thousands of patients now have access to this cutting-edge technology – helping them to better manage their diabetes whether they’re at home or on the move.
“It’s another example of how we’re using technology to improve outcomes for patients, while reducing pressure on frontline services and this will help reduce hospitalisations and diabetic illnesses.
“The NHS has rolled out these devices at pace, and even more patients stand to benefit from this life-saving technology from the spring.”
The NHS spends around £10bn every year treating diabetes – to learn more about how the health sector is getting more people to sign up to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, read the latest edition of our online magazine here.
