The head of the NHS has announced that around 1,000 diabetes patients will get an artificial pancreas.
As part of a pilot project, patients with type 1 diabetes will be able to use the devices that continuously measure a person’s blood sugar level and deliver insulin directly into the bloodstream and automatically equalize the patient’s blood sugar level.
Speaking at the NHS Confederation conference, CEO Sir Simon Stevens said that up to 1,000 patients will benefit from a pilot project of innovative closed-loop technology.
The devices could help eliminate finger prick tests and prevent life-threatening hypoglycemic attacks.
Sir Simon said the technology is just “one example of a whole innovation spurt that is continuing across the healthcare sector”.
He said: “Living with diabetes is a daily challenge for millions of people across England and this closed loop technology has the potential to change their lives remarkably.
“In a year that marked a century after the discovery of insulin – that revolutionized the world of diabetes – this innovation is a prime example of the NHS ‘continued advancement in modern medicine and technology.”
Professor Partha Kar, NHS National Adviser on Diabetes, added: “A 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 the treatment of serious diseases, including diabetes, that have enabled patients to live longer and healthier lives.”
Sir Simon also praised other medical advances in healthcare, from new cancer treatments to drugs for spinal muscular atrophy and cystic fibrosis.
In the meantime, due to other innovations, there is a “realistic prospect” that HIV will be eliminated in this country by 2030, he said.
And “breakthrough” deals with pharmaceutical companies could mean the country “is well on its way to getting rid of hepatitis C before the World Health Organization’s 2030 target is met”.
Sir Simon also praised the clinical trials that took place at the NHS during the pandemic.
“The latest estimate is that over a million lives worldwide have been saved in months, not years, thanks to research done at the NHS,” he added.
On data sharing, Sir Simon added, “Data sharing not only saves lives, it also helps reduce inequalities – one reason we have been able to successfully re-engineer vaccine delivery models for people we have seen They weren’t coming – precisely because of the opportunity to anonymously share data across the healthcare system in a trustworthy manner and to see where we need the vaccine bus, where we need to work with the imams and mosques, where we need to encourage, fill in gaps and pharmacists- Make better use of scenarios in which people would otherwise not be in touch.
“So sharing data to tackle inequalities will be an important part of the innovative response.”
