20
KIT
The NHS England
Framework is
designed to
ensure that
healthcare
professionals have
access to highquality
and costeffective
products
that meet the
needs of patients
with diabetes. ~
Oliver Brooks,
Spirit Health
Testing times.
The latest commissioning advice for diabetes meters,
testing strips and lancets has recently been made
available as recommendations from NHS England.
The NHS England Diabetes
framework is an initiative
where a suggested supplier
list is created for blood
glucose, ketone meters, testing strip
and associated consumables that
are used within primary care. The
framework is designed to tackle
health inequalities and affordability
within diabetes. As stated, the
commissioning recommendations
follow a clinically-led national
assessment in order to better
understand the products available
and how they meet the needs of all
people living with diabetes.
The national assessment
looked at both quality and cost of
products, with input from diabetes
specialist nurses, consultant
physicians, diabetes pharmacists
and people living with diabetes. The
recommended meters, strips and
lancets passed a rigorous evaluation
Blue recommended by the NHS for
people with Type 2 diabetes, who
make up 90% of the diabetes cases
in Britain. Designed for people with
diabetes, Contour Plus Blue is an
easy-to-use BGM product that is
differentiated by features such as
exceptional accuracy and SecondChance
sampling. We look forward
to continuing to bring its benefits to
people with diabetes across England."
Guildford-based GlucoRx's blood
glucose meters are in the NHS
process, ensuring that only the "best
of the highest quality and costeffective
devices" are approved.
Referring to these new national
commissioning recommendations,
Professor Partha Kar, NHS England's
National Speciality Advisor for
Diabetes, said: "As a clinician, I know
how important monitoring and
testing devices are for people living
with diabetes and I am delighted
that this new commissioning
guidance will empower front-line
staff to continue to provide worldclass devices
to everyone who
needs them."
These national recommendations
for BGM, CGM, flash and closed
loop systems are meant to address
disparities between CCGs (now
ICGs). All currently available blood
glucose meters were looked at
under separate cohorts - eg., T1, T2,
dexterity - and so on - and included
lancets too.
The commissioning
recommendations report states that
"managing the growing incidence of
diabetes in England is set to be one
of the major clinical challenges of the
21st century", with predictions that
by 2030, almost 9% of the population
will be living with the condition.
Reacting to the report, Ascensia's
UK Country Head, Paul Hook
commented: "With the growing
incidence of diabetes in the UK,
Ascensia welcomes this review
and is firmly aligned with NHS
England's ambition to improve
treatment outcomes and equitable
access. Blood glucose monitoring
remains an important tool for
diabetes self-management and we
are proud to have Contour Plus