Bid to end postcode lottery on diabetes technology

THE NHS will invest up to £46m to help tens of thousands of people living with diabetes to receive life-changing treatment.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has pledged to end the postcode lottery where type 1 in some parts of the country are not able to get glucose monitors.

Mr Stevens said from April next year the NHS will ensure the Freestyle Libre devices are available on prescription for all patients who qualify for them.

The wearable sensor scraps the need for inconvenient and sometimes painful finger prick blood tests by relaying glucose levels to a smartphone or e-reader, making it easier to notice when sugar levels are starting to rise or drop so action can be taken quicker.

Prime Minister Theresa May has one of the devices, which is the size of a £2 coin and sits on the arm.

In his announcement today, which coincides with World Diabetes Day, Mr Stevens said the plan aims to allow patients the tools and information to manage their own conditions more easily.

He added: “Increasingly the NHS is going to be offering patients this sort of technology to help them more easily manage their own long-term health problem.

“In the NHS of the future, for many conditions you’re going to get NHS support direct from your smartphone or wearable device rather than having to trek to regular hospital outpatient appointments.

“Supporting people with modern tools to manage conditions such as Type 1 diabetes is about to become much more widespread.

“Innovations such as these also free up time and resources for the NHS as a whole.”

The plan will allow patients to receive it on prescription from their GP or diabetes team and help them to better manage their blood sugar levels.