NHS England is putting on prescription continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). The £2 coin-sized devices are worn on the arm and tell a phone app if glucose levels rise or fall to dangerous levels.
The sensors last 10 days and cost up to £70 – more than alternative flash monitoring, which is also arm-worn but needs patients to scan a sensor for a reading.
Around three-fifths of Type 1 patients use flash monitors. All will now qualify for continuous ones thanks to an NHS England cut-price deal with American manufacturer Dexcom.
It is hoped widening availability will lower hospital admissions.
Dr Partha Kar, an NHS adviser for diabetes, said the new monitors “will be life-changing”.
Ex-prime minister Theresa May, a Type 1 diabetic, called CGM “transformational”.
Dexcom said its NHS deal was “enormous progress” for diabetics.