NHS England and NHS Improvement has recently announced plans for a new drive to revolutionise the lives of people with Type 1 diabetes, through provision of stateof-the-art artificial pancreas technology, 100 years after the discovery of insulin.
Hybrid closed-loop (HCL) insulin delivery systems automatically balance blood sugar levels by constantly measuring glucose and delivering insulin directly to the bloodstream when needed. Up to 1,000 new patients will benefit from a pilot of the innovative ‘closed loop technology’, which continually monitors blood glucose and automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given through a pump.
Selected specialist diabetes centres in England will test the rollout of this technology initially, with data submitted via the NHS’s world-leading National Diabetes Audit to enable the results to feed into an evidence assessment undertaken by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
NICE will then, through their usual guideline development process, consider the evidence including this real-world data for use of HCL, and if appropriate make recommendations for its use across the NHS.
Participants will be selected according to specific eligibility criteria developed in conjunction with the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD), meaning the opportunity is to be targeted at those most set to benefit.
The commencement of this new drive to provide hybrid closed loop technology means that the NHS is going above and beyond its existing ambition in its LongTerm Plan to make other forms of noninvasive glucose monitoring technology available to 20 percent of those with Type 1 diabetes and to all pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes.
Monitoring patches worn on the skin allow patients to scan a sensor to get a reading to observe changes to their blood glucose levels over time, allowing a more holistic understanding of their personal glycaemic control and supporting enhanced selfmanagement.
Two in five people with Type 1 diabetes are already now benefiting from such patches, which far exceeds the original target. In addition, maternity services across the country are now offering continuous glucose monitors to expectant mothers, supporting them to achieve better outcomes in pregnancy and for their babies.
Professor Jonathan Valabhji OBE, National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity, said:
“In a year that marks a century since insulin was discovered – which revolutionised the world of diabetes – the deployment of this innovation for the benefit of so many people is a prime example of the NHS’s continued progress in modern medicine and technology and shows the NHS commitment to providing world class care for those living with diabetes’.
Professor Partha Kar OBE, NHS National Speciality Advisor for Diabetes, said:
“One hundred years after the discovery of insulin, the ‘artificial pancreas’ is a potentially revolutionary development in the treatment of diabetes. The NHS has long been at the forefront of clinical advances in care for major diseases, including diabetes, which have allowed patients to live longer and healthier lives. This new technology is an extension of the fantastic work achieved by the NHS, third sector and industry partners who are working together to improve the lives of patients”