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FreeStyle Libre latest News!!!

On February 5th 2019, Minister of Health Steve Brine made the following statement:
In November 2018, NHS England announced action to end the current variation in accessing flash glucose monitors. From April 2019 there will be a more consistent national approach to the availability of this device. NHS England is currently working up detailed clinical criteria for who would be able to access the device. NHS England estimates that current guidelines on the use of flash glucose monitoring suggest that it could be beneficial for around 20% of those with type 1 diabetes (20% or approximately 45,000 people).

NHS England is committed to making funding available in 2019/20 and 2020/21 which will be used to reimburse clinical commissioning groups based on the number of prescriptions made for flash glucose monitor sensors. Details of the funding arrangements have not yet been confirmed.

Jenny Hirst comments

• Whoever prepared this statement has got the numbers wrong and is misleading everyone. There are around 400,000 people with Type 1 diabetes, so 20% is 80,000 people NOT 45,000 as stated, so how many people are going to be able to access the Freestyle Libre?
• Simon Stevens obviously made his statement on November 14th 2018 without any plans in place for who can access the Libre, what the criteria are and the funding arrangements.
• So people with diabetes are still going to have to struggle to obtain the device on an NHS prescription, in other words very little has changed!