NHS in England will give “artificial pancreas” to people with type 1 diabetes

In England, children and adults living with type 1 diabetes will begin receiving an “artificial pancreas” from today. The world-first initiative is being implemented by the National Health Service (in English, NHS).

Named Hybrid Closed Loop System, the system is commonly called “artificial pancreas” and combines a device that monitors blood sugar, an insulin pump and software on a cell phone.

This “artificial pancreas” continuously monitors a person's blood glucose and automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given to them via injection. This eliminates the need to draw blood with a finger prick test or manually inject insulin.

“Artificial pancreas” will be made available en masse

According to the NHS in England, the mass launch of the “artificial pancreas” is based on the success of a pilot project of this technology, through which 835 adults and children received devices to improve the management of their disease.

The entity revealed that this action can prevent potentially fatal hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia attacks, which can lead to seizures, coma or even death in people with type 1 diabetes. Currently, in England, more than 269,000 people live with the disease.

This is yet another example of NHS leadership in healthcare, with these innovative devices being rolled out across England over the next five years.

This transformative technology has the power to redefine the lives of people with type 1 diabetes, promising a better quality of life as well as clinical outcomes.

National clinical director for diabetes Clare Hambling shared, encouraging those who are worried about their symptoms to seek support, according to Sky News.

Illustration of the Hybrid Closed Loop System. Source: Diabetes UK

From the perspective of Colette Marshall, chief executive of Diabetes UK, “it is incredibly exciting to see the Hybrid Closed Loop System being rolled out across the NHS in England for people with type 1 diabetes.” Although diabetes is “a difficult and unforgiving disease”, these systems make “a significant and transformative difference”.

The executive director said that this “is truly a landmark moment” and assured that Diabetes UK will work with the NHS and other entities “to ensure a fair implementation that reaches people as quickly as possible”.

Today, identifying and treating the disease costs the NHS in England around £10 billion a year, that is, 10% of its total budget. With the mass rollout of the “artificial pancreas”, local NHS services will begin to identify eligible people living with type 1 diabetes, a process for which they have been funded by the NHS to the tune of £2.5 million.