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All 400,000 Brits with type 1 diabetes will soon be offered a high-tech implant that monitors their blood sugar levels in real time, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The small device was restricted by the NHS due to cost and made available only to those most in need.
But Dr. Partha Kar, NHS England's national diabetes specialist adviser, says patients will now have access to the expensive technology within weeks, marking the end of fingerprint blood tests.
Many people with type 1 diabetes, who lack the vital hormone insulin to regulate blood sugar levels, have to undergo unpleasant checks at least four times a day.
All 400,000 Brits with type 1 diabetes will soon be offered a high-tech implant that monitors their blood sugar levels in real time, The Mail on Sunday can reveal (stock photo)
The results show how much insulin - which helps the body absorb sugar in food - they need to inject to keep their blood sugar stable and avoid potentially fatal spikes or crashes.
The implant, called a continuous glucose monitor, is no larger than a £2 coin and sits on the arm and sends updates to the user's phone.
Although the technology has been available in the UK for more than a decade, spending watchdogs deemed it too expensive to offer to every patient. But NHS bosses have announced they now plan to fund monitoring for everyone.
“By March 31, everyone should be able to get a continuous glucose monitor if they want one,” says Dr. Kar.
"There will be no criteria and no restrictions on who can have one. This represents a fundamental change in the way patients with type 1 diabetes manage their disease."
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Otherwise, blood sugar levels can become dangerously high and cause serious damage to the blood vessels that supply vital organs.
Dr. Partha Kar, NHS England's national diabetes specialist adviser, says patients will now have access to the expensive technology within weeks, marking the end of fingerprint blood tests
If a patient remains untreated, he or she will quickly develop life-threatening illnesses such as heart and kidney disease.
To protect against these complications, patients with type 1 diabetes monitor their blood sugar levels so they know how much insulin to inject before and after meals.
A close reading is essential. With too much insulin, blood sugar drops and patients can experience hypoglycemia, which is sometimes fatal.
A continuous glucose monitor beams the information back to a smartphone. Alarms can be programmed to warn of dangerous high or low temperatures. The device is implanted just under the skin above the elbow.
Dr. David Strain, a diabetes expert at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The NHS has recognized that the price of these devices is well below the cost of treating diabetes complications.
“If you equip more patients with a monitor, fewer patients will end up in the hospital in the long term.”