A new device to help Type 1 diabetics monitor their glucose levels without having to go through blood tests with needles is now available on the NHS after its approval by Tower Hamlets GPs’ commissioning group.
The ‘Flash’ glucose monitoring equipment has been made available on prescription after Tower Hamlets GPs commissioning group gave approval.
It means people like Jess Croll-Knight, a 31-year-old NHS programme coordinator from Limehouse who has Type 1 diabetes herself, can now get the device without constantly having to fork out.
“I paid for the device for a year and it was helpful when I was doing sport,” she revealed.
“But I stopped using it because I didn’t want to become dependent on something I wasn’t sure I would be able to afford.”
The device means Jess can manage her hypoglycaemia low blood glucose condition more safely, when levels drop too low which can lead to disorientation.
“I was experiencing bad and frequent ‘hypos’,” Jess recalls. “But I had lost awareness and didn’t realise in time that my blood glucose levels were low.”
Many diabetics monitor their blood glucose levels with a finger prick blood test using a meter that indicates the level at the time of the test.
But the glucose monitor uses a small sensor instead that is worn on their skin, continuously recording eight hours of glucose readings, which frees diabetics from frequent finger-prick testing and making it easier to keep on top of blood sugar levels.
Use of the device on the NHS was approved by Tower Hamlets GPs on July 4, following a Diabetes UK campaign.
Roz Rosenblatt at Diabetes UK’s Whitechapel HQ said: “Everyone with diabetes should have the right technology, not just those who can afford it.
“This sadly isn’t the case, with Tower Hamlets being one of only 20 London boroughs out of 33 offering Flash monitoring devices on the NHS. We are calling on all authorities to make sure Type 1 diabetics can get the device, no matter where they live.”
The device helps control diabetes better and, in turn, reduce the risk of amputation, blindness or stroke, the organisation points out.
The Diabetes UK helpline is 0345-123 2399, Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, or email helpline@diabetes.org.uk
The Diabetes UK helpline is 0345-123 2399, open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, or email helpline@diabetes.org.uk
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