An ‘artificial pancreas’ designed to revolutionise the life of
people with Type 1 diabetes will be provided by the NHS, 100
years after the discovery of insulin, health service chief
executive Sir Simon Stevens announced today.
Speaking at NHS Confederation’s conference this morning, Sir
Simon said that up to 1,000 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. It can eliminate finger prick tests
and prevent life-threatening hypoglycaemic attacks.
This means the NHS is going above and beyond its Long Term Plan
goal on non-invasive glucose monitoring, with two in five people
with Type 1 diabetes already now benefiting from this technology.
Devices like Freestyle Libre are worn under the skin and
continuously monitor glucose levels. Patients can scan the sensor
to get a reading.
Sir Simon Stevens said: “Living with diabetes is
a daily challenge for millions of people across England, and this
closed loop technology has the potential to make a remarkable
difference to their lives.
“In a year that marks a century since insulin was discovered -
which revolutionised the world of diabetes – this innovation is a
prime example of the NHS’s continued progress in modern medicine
and technology.”
Professor Partha Kar, 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.
“We have already outperformed the goals in the NHS Long Term Plan
for better diabetes care, and 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.”
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to making non-invasive glucose
monitoring technology available to 20% of diabetics and all
pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes.
The health service delivered on these ambitions, with maternity
services across the country now able to offer non invasive
glucose monitors to expectant mothers and over 40% of people
living with Type 1 diabetes benefiting from flash glucose
monitoring.
Hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery systems automatically balance
blood sugar levels by constantly measuring glucose and delivering
insulin directly to the bloodstream when needed. Not only does
this offer better glucose control and significantly reduce the
risk of hypoglycaemia, it can also relieve some of the mental
burden on patients and caregivers, who otherwise must remain
constantly vigilant to blood sugar levels.
Up to 1,000 patients from around 25 specialist diabetes centres
in England will benefit from the pilot programme.
Participating centres will submit data via the NHS’s
world-leading National Diabetes Audit and the results will feed
into the evidence assessment undertaken by the National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
ENDS
Background
- Up to 1,000 hybrid closed-loop systems will be offered to
both adults and children. Patients who are offered hybrid
closed-loop will ordinarily already be using pump therapy and
flash glucose monitors or CGM and who are not achieving HbA1C
<8.5%.
- The Diabetes Technology Network (DTN), which is a sub-group
of the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD),
have developed clinical eligibility criteria and a pathway for
Hybrid Closed Loop systems. This was based on a pragmatic
consideration on those most likely to benefit from the new
technology from a clinical perspective based on current
technology use and glucose control.
- The NHS is in the process of confirming the specialist
centres that will offer hybrid closed-loop. It will also ensure a
representative mix of patients, including those from ethnic
minorities and more deprived communities.
- Insulin was discovered by Sir Frederick G Banting (pictured),
Charles H Best and JJR Macleod at the University of Toronto in
1921 and it was subsequently purified by James B Collip. Before
1921, it was exceptional for people with Type 1 diabetes to live
more than a year or two.
