The thread is now 3 years old, but as a type 1 you can ring most bg meter companies and they'll send you one out for free, just tell them you test multiple times a day.
Applied for a free meter, arrived today.
Just looked on Amazon, 50 test strips £21.35 I get 100 strips for £16.45 for my Codefree Meter.
Glucomen 42p per strip, Codefree 16p per strip. :***:
I think it is unlikely that NHS will pay for it. I'll ask my GP on my next visit.
My codefree reads lower than my glucomen which I now only use for ketones. Sticking with the codefree because my blood sugars are lower. yours faithfully head in the sand