- The NHS rollout of hybrid closed-loop systems for type 1 diabetes appears to be reducing the usual gaps in access linked to deprivation and ethnicity.
- Early data suggest uptake has been far more equal than with previous diabetes technologies, with only a small difference between the most and least deprived groups.
- The progress is real, but thousands of eligible people still do not have access yet, so the job is not finished.
The NHS rollout of artificial pancreas technology in England and Wales appears to be doing something previous diabetes tech programmes often failed to do.
It is narrowing the gap in access between richer and poorer communities, and between white patients and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.
That matters because earlier waves of diabetes technology, including continuous glucose monitors, were marked by obvious inequality.
People from deprived backgrounds and some minority ethnic groups were often less likely to get access, even when the benefits were clear.
The new data suggest the picture is different with hybrid closed-loop systems.
These systems combine a continuous glucose monitor, an insulin pump and an algorithm that adjusts insulin delivery in response to glucose levels.
In practical terms, they take much of the relentless mental burden out of living with type 1 diabetes, especially overnight and around meals.
The first two years of the rollout in England and Wales have focused on children.
Around 32,000 have now been fitted with the device, representing 72.3% of those eligible.
According to the figures reported, the gap in uptake between the most and least deprived groups is only around 3%, with a similarly small difference between minority ethnic groups and white patients.
That does not mean access is now perfect.
It means this rollout has been more equitable than previous ones, which is an achievement worth noticing.
- Artificial pancreas: NHS rolls out hybrid closed loop systems for people with type 1 diabetes
- Hybrid closed-loop systems associated with improved blood sugar levels
It also matters because the technology can be genuinely life-changing.
For some people, it reduces admissions with diabetic ketoacidosis, improves sleep and allows day-to-day life to feel less dominated by constant calculations and corrections.
The next challenge is obvious.
The rollout has to keep going until all eligible children and adults who want the technology can access it, regardless of where they live or who they are.
The progress so far is encouraging.
