Labour announces partnership with business to provide medtech for children with diabetes

Labour has tonight (Monday 8 April) announced a new partnership with Virgin Media O2, so that every child with type 1 diabetes can benefit from the latest technology.

The NHS provides new glucose monitors for people with type 1 diabetes, which enable parents to monitor children's glucose levels throughout the day and night. With 32,000 children in the UK living with the condition, ensuring their glucose levels don't drop below a safe level is vital as it prevents children from passing out or having a fit.

New glucose monitors allow parents to check their child's levels while at school through smartphone technology. However, hundreds of families of children with type 1 diabetes aren't able to afford smartphones and so can't benefit from the breakthrough medical technology.

Within five years, patients with type 1 diabetes will be offered an ‘artificial pancreas' which automatically provides them with insulin when the patient's blood sugar levels are high. However, patients who do not have a smartphone will not benefit from the new innovation, which uses smartphone technology to track their blood sugar levels.

In a brand-new initiative, Keir Starmer has today announced that an incoming Labour government will partner with Virgin Media O2 and the Supporting Children with Diabetes charity so that every family has the smartphones they need to benefit from the latest technology.

Under the new proposals, hundreds of children from deprived backgrounds will be given access to the life-changing new glucose monitors via donated smartphones provided by Virgin Media O2. The NHS will identify children with type 1 diabetes who are not using modern glucose monitors and direct them to the charity so they can provide them with a smartphone.

The announcement comes after Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting [TODAT] visit a hospital in the East Midlands to meet nurses and patients in the maternity ward, seeing first-hand the impact of fourteen years of Conservative chaos has had on the NHS.

The pair toured the hospital and spoke to staff, highlighting the Party's pledge to digitise the red book given to parents to record children's medical records, as part of a series of changes to the NHS app.

Announcing the partnership in an interview with ITV News, Keir Starmer MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said:

“It's a travesty that hundreds of children with type 1 diabetes can't afford smartphones to take advantage of new monitors which check and monitor glucose levels. This new technological breakthrough should be available to all children who need it, not to those who can afford a device.

“We need an innovative and collaborative approach to tackle this head-on. That's why my Labour government will work hand in glove with leading businesses to break down the barriers to access. Our ten-year plan for change and modernisation of the NHS will bring our analogue service into the digital age. We will secure the benefits of the revolution in medical technology for all. This is implementing traditional values in a modern setting.

“That's what an incoming, mission-led, Labour government will be all about. Under my leadership, a strong partnership between government, business and civil society will make our NHS fit for the future and give all children the best possible start in life.”

“There is a revolution in medical technology taking place before our eyes. Under the Tories, the NHS is failing to secure the advantages of AI and new treatments for its patients, but private healthcare won't. If this continues, the two-tier healthcare system that is emerging in our country today will grow, the gap between public and private widen, and the NHS will become the poor man's service. That is the future we must avoid.

“Labour will reform the NHS so it takes full advantage of modern technology to deliver better care for all patients.”

Virgin Media O2 have agreed to provide the smartphones needed to make sure every child with type 1 diabetes can benefit from new glucose monitoring technology, free of charge.

Nicola Green, Corporate Affairs Director of Virgin Media O2, said:

“As someone with Type 1 Diabetes, I have firsthand experience of how smartphone technology can help manage the condition. The recycled devices that Virgin Media O2 is donating to Supporting Children with Diabetes will reduce the hassle and stress for those families affected by Diabetes, making it faster and easy to monitor blood glucose levels.

“We welcome the Labour Party supporting this practical example of how digital technology can help the NHS deliver better and fairer outcomes for children and young people.”

Carolyn Goldhill, Founder and CEO of Supporting Children with Diabetes (SCD), said:

“I am delighted that a Labour government will establish this partnership with Virgin Media O2 and our charity, SCD - Supporting children with Diabetes. Since the NHS began supplying Continuous Glucose Monitors to children with Type 1 diabetes nearly 2 years ago, we have been inundated with requests for phones.

“This technology enables young children to lead normal lives, whist their parents and diabetes nurses check their blood sugar levels remotely to ensure they are safe. Many families don't have the funds to buy a mobile phone that is compatible with the device and, without our charity, parents would be forced to revert to constant finger pricking to test blood sugar levels, and would not be able to be separated from their child. 

“This partnership will allow us to continue supplying phones to support children from deprived backgrounds, so they can benefit from the latest tech on the NHS.”

Ends

Notes

1. Children with type 1 diabetes from deprived backgrounds are missing out on new technology on the NHS, because their parents can't afford smartphones.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/09/deprived-families-nhs-diabetes-devices