Hi-tech patch will end pain of diabetes needle tests

HUNDREDS of thousands of diabetes sufferers may get NHS access to a device which ends the need for painful finger pricks.

Health bosses last night announced the Freestyle Libre patch will be available on prescription for the first time from November 1. The device, a sensor the size of a £2 coin, reads blood sugar levels from the cells just below the skin and sends them to a smartphone.

It means patients will no longer have to subject themselves to the frequent finger pricks required to monitor glucose levels. However, not all areas will offer the system, with local NHS groups deciding whether to provide it free.

The device is particularly valuable for the 400,000 people in Britain with Type 1 diabetes, where the pancreas does not produce any insulin.

Sufferers must constantly monitor their blood sugar levels to check whether they need an insulin injection.

The system works by placing a patch on the upper arm. A tiny filament – the width of three human hairs – goes through the skin and reads the glucose levels between skin cells.

The data is sent to a smartphone via a ‘flash sensing’ system – the same technology used for contactless cards. Each patch lasts two weeks.

Chris Askew, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: ‘Flash glucose monitoring can free people living with diabetes from the pain and rigour of frequent finger-prick testing.’