The NHS is to begin offering an advanced technology, branded an “artificial pancreas”, to patients with type 1 diabetes, it has been announced.
The hybrid loop systems will first be offered to pregnant women and to children and young people, NHS officials said last night.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence confirmed it was granting approval to the technology at its conference last night.
The systems combine a glucose monitor and insulin pump and automatically deliver insulin to the body.
The technology is to be rolled out across the NHS in England over five years, NICE said, allowing for time for specialist training of patients and staff and for funding to reach integrated care boards. It will be given to adults with an average HbA1c reading of 7.5% or more and also to those who suffer disabling hypoglycaemia.
NICE chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Benger said: “With around 10% of the entire NHS budget being spent on diabetes, it is important for NICE to focus on what matters most by ensuring the best value for money technologies are available to healthcare professionals and patients.
“Using hybrid closed loop systems will be a game changer for people with type 1 diabetes. By ensuring their blood glucose levels are within the recommended range, people are less likely to have complications such as disabling hypoglycaemia, strokes and heart attacks, which lead to costly NHS care. This technology will improve the health and wellbeing of patients and save the NHS money in the long term.”
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