The roll-out of painless glucose monitoring systems for people with Type 1 diabetes has been put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced in March that Freestyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitors would be available for all Type-1 diabetics from this month.

But the roll-out has been delayed to enable healthcare resources to be directed towards protecting the community from the spread of coronavirus.

The position will be reviewed after three months when it is hoped that work can resume on supporting the roll-out of the government-funded systems.

Priorities

Health Minister David Ashford said: ’We are in the grip of a deadly pandemic and I’m sure people will understand that the government’s resources need to be prioritised on our response at this time.

’I can reassure people that we remain fully committed to the implementation of the glucose monitors, which will help to improve the quality of life of our diabetes patients.

’We will look at the situation again as soon as is practicable.’

The monitoring systems offer an accurate, safe and convenient way for people with Type 1 diabetes to check their glucose levels.

The monitors are placed under the skin and are swiped to get an instant blood sugar reading.

They will replace painful finger-prick blood tests having to be made up to 10 times a day.

Since December 2018, this technology has been funded for Type-1 diabetic children in the island by the parent-led campaign Monitors4Kids.

Individuals over the age of 16 who have wanted to access this technology to help manage their condition have had to self-fund, which costs nearly £1,300 a year.

Technology

Monitors4Kids, which was launched in 2018, has been calling for the monitors to be made available on the island’s NHS as it is in the UK.

For young patients, the information collected by the monitor is saved, and parents can access it from their mobile phones. The data includes urgent notifications if their child has a potentially dangerous low blood sugar level.

The monitors have been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Patients who have purchased their own Freestyle Libre or Dexcom systems are encouraged to use the online resources to ensure they are enjoying the full benefits of the equipment.

Specialists from the diabetes nursing service can also be contacted on 650860 for advice and support or to discuss data.