NHS artificial pancreas rollout narrows diabetes inequalities, figures show
The NHS artificial pancreas rollout has narrowed inequalities in access to diabetes treatment, early figures suggest.
People from deprived and minority ethnic backgrounds have had better access to the device than with previous diabetes technologies, according to early data from the programme.
Helen Kirrane, head of policy and campaigns at Diabetes UK, said the device had made a “significant, life-changing difference for many thousands of people living with type 1 diabetes”.
She added: “We’re incredibly proud of the role Diabetes UK research and advocacy has played in getting us to this point, where a world-leading rollout is taking place on the NHS with equity at its very core.
“But it is clear there is more work to be done and, with some people still missing out on this transformative technology, the challenge now is ensuring that everyone who is eligible can access it across the UK, regardless of their background or where they live.”
Officially known as a hybrid closed-loop system, an artificial pancreas has three linked parts: a sensor worn on the body called a continuous glucose monitor, an algorithm and an insulin pump.
The algorithm, built into the pump or on a separate device such as a phone, calculates the precise dose of insulin needed and the pump delivers it into the bloodstream.
For people with type 1 diabetes, a long-term condition in which the body cannot make enough insulin, the device removes much of the burden of managing blood sugar levels, especially around mealtimes and during the night.
Previous clinical trials found the device was more effective at managing diabetes than current diabetes technology, such as using continuous glucose monitors alone.
Previous rollouts of diabetes technology have shown stark disparities in uptake linked to ethnicity and deprivation.
Studies have found that people from minority ethnic backgrounds in England were less likely to have access to continuous glucose monitors, while people from deprived backgrounds have been unable to make full use of the technology.
However, the first two years of the artificial pancreas rollout suggest a narrower gap, with only a three per cent difference in uptake between people from the most and least deprived backgrounds, as well as between those from minority ethnic backgrounds and white counterparts.
In 2023, the NHS said more than 150,000 adults and children with type 1 diabetes would be offered the device.
The first two years since launch have focused on children, and about 32,000 of them have been fitted with the device on the NHS, making up 72.3 per cent of those eligible.
The programme will continue over the next few years until all eligible children and adults with type 1 diabetes have received the device.
Hilary Nathan, director of policy at the research and advocacy organisation Breakthrough T1D, said: “The UK is rightly being recognised as a global leader in the rollout of hybrid closed-loop systems for people living with type 1 diabetes, reflecting years of research, advocacy and leadership from people with lived experience.
“The priority now is to ensure equitable access across all four nations of the UK, so that everyone has a genuine choice of the technology that suits them when they need it and so the benefits of innovation are felt fairly across every community, with no one left behind.”
Dr Clare Hambling, national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, said: “It is fantastic to see that the world-first rollout of this ground-breaking technology is already transforming the lives of tens of thousands of children and young people living with type 1 diabetes on the NHS.
“These revolutionary devices have a represented a real step-change in care for so many families and this progress is testament to the dedication of our paediatric diabetes teams across the country to ensure as many young people who need them have been able to access them as quickly as possible, no matter where they live.”
