Labour announced a new partnership with Virgin Media O2 to ensure all children with type 1 diabetes can benefit from the latest technology. Labour also said it would digitise the red book given to parents to record their children’s medical records as part of a series of changes to NHS apps.
The NHS is providing people with type 1 diabetes with a new blood glucose monitor that allows parents to keep an eye on their child’s blood sugar levels throughout the day and night. With 32,000 children living with the disease in the UK, it’s vital that their blood sugar doesn’t fall below safe levels to prevent them from fainting or having seizures.
A new blood glucose monitor allows parents to use smartphone technology to check their children’s blood sugar levels while they’re at school, but hundreds of families with children with type 1 diabetes cannot afford a smartphone and are therefore unable to benefit from this groundbreaking medical technology.
Within five years, people with type 1 diabetes could be offered an “artificial pancreas” that automatically delivers insulin when blood sugar levels are high, but patients who don’t have smartphones won’t be able to benefit from this new innovation that uses smartphone technology to track their blood sugar levels.
In a brand new initiative, Labour leader Keir Starmer said his new government would partner with Virgin Media O2 and diabetic children’s charities to ensure every household has the smartphone they need to benefit from the latest technology.
Under the new proposals, hundreds of children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be able to access a life-changing new blood glucose monitor through a donation of free smartphones from Virgin Media O2. The NHS will identify children with type 1 diabetes who don’t have access to a modern blood glucose monitor and refer them to a charity that can provide them with a smartphone.
Announcing the partnership in an interview with ITV News, Starmer said: “It’s tragic that hundreds of children with type 1 diabetes cannot afford the smartphones they need to access new monitors to check and monitor their blood sugar levels. This new innovation should be available to every child who needs it, not just those who can afford it.”
“Tackling this issue head on requires an innovative and collaborative approach, which is why my Labor Government will work closely with leading businesses to break down barriers to access.”
Labour’s shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting MP, said: “We are seeing a revolution in health technology happening before our eyes. Under a Conservative government, the NHS has failed to secure the benefits of AI and new treatments for patients, but private healthcare has not.
“If this continues, the two-tiered health system we are currently seeing will expand, the gap between public and private care will widen and the NHS will become a poor person’s service. This is a future we must avoid.”
Nicola Green, corporate affairs director at Virgin Media O2, said: “As a person with type 1 diabetes, I experience first-hand how smartphone technology can help manage the disease. The recycled devices that Virgin Media O2 will donate to organisations that support children with diabetes will reduce hassle and stress for families affected by diabetes, making it quicker and easier to monitor blood sugar levels.”
Digitised Redbook moves to NHS app
The Redbook reforms will see children’s health records stored in parents’ NHS app, making it easier for parents and the NHS to check if their children are missing vaccinations or health checks, with automated notifications informing parents and the option to book appointments through the app.
For the past 30 years, the NHS has provided new parents with the Red Book. Child MMR vaccination rates have fallen in each of the past seven years. The UK lost its measles-free status in 2019. There have been hundreds of cases and outbreaks across the country in the past year.
Labour’s plans would allow the NHS to identify unvaccinated children, send parents information about the importance and safety of the MMR vaccine and invite them to book an appointment to protect their children.