Patients may not be able to afford devices which are now part and parcel of managing Type One diabetes treatment approved by NHS.
Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Partha Kar OBE, Diabetes co-lead, NHS said, “About 70% to 75% of people with type one diabetes already on it. Everybody's getting it and it is funded by the NHS. But there are a couple of regions mostly based around the East of England, one being Norfolk, the other being Cambridge, which is unable to do that.
He further explained that people who have been self-funding these devices will not be able to look after their Type One diabetes for too long amid the ongoing cost of living and rising energy bill crisis.
Dr Kar added, “I got emails from people saying, well, now we are not in a position to fund it, because everything's become so expensive. Their care is dropping. So now, people are having to make a choice between what they can buy. That's because of the rising costs bills and everything. People who could afford it before (it's not extremely cheap for everybody) shelled about £100-£250 a month. Not everybody's not in a position to afford it. We are trying to sort it out with a lot of people. We'll see where we go. So that's the idea. We have flagged it to Norfolk team. They will send it to their consultants, but in short, yes, the rise in price is having an impact on their lives that they can't sell on their device anymore and thereby the care is dropping.”
