Daniel Newman
Type 1 diabetes advocate and host of The Talking Type 1 Podcast
Updated NICE guidelines aim to help people with diabetes get access to the right technology, resources and information and improve the management of their condition.
Daniel Newman knows all about the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes: he was diagnosed with diabetes when he was just 10 years old.
Now, 25 years later, he serves as a patient representative on the committee that recently updated National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines regarding access to diabetes technology.
Whenever national guidelines are reviewed or developed, it’s vital to listen to the patients’ point of view, he insists. “Someone who has lived experience of a health condition has real, day-to-day insight to offer,” says Daniel. “That’s my function on the committee. Nevertheless, it’s a big responsibility to be involved with a prestigious organisation such as NICE, representing a community of people living with type 1 diabetes.”
The updated NICE guidelines recommend wider access to flash and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for people living with diabetes on the NHS. This technology — along with an insulin pump — has certainly revolutionised Daniel’s life. “I’d have been about 12 when I received my first glucose monitor,” he says. “Before that, I was still managing my diabetes with constant finger pricking and using test strips however now the process was quicker. The sensor I currently use is on the back of my upper arm which monitors my glucose levels. I can view my levels on my phone after scanning the sensor. The alarms on my sensor alert me when my levels are higher or lower than I’d like them to be.”
Challenges in accessing the right diabetes technology
Constant management of diabetes can be a weary and exhausting responsibility that either falls on those individuals living with the condition or their parents and carers, says Daniel. But technology such as flash glucose monitoring — where glucose levels are checked with a simple scan of a sensor placed on the back of the upper arm — makes management easier.
It’s a big responsibility to be involved with a prestigious organisation such as NICE, representing a community of people living with type 1 diabetes.
There are a number of barriers that still exist for those managing their diabetes. One being accessing this type of innovation, which isn’t always straightforward. Daniel points out that people from lower socioeconomic and/or ethnic minority backgrounds, or those who don’t speak English as their first language, may face significant challenges in accessing diabetes tech. “If you don’t know what is available to you, or how to get it, you can be at a disadvantage,” he says. “I’m hopeful that as policies have changed, the disadvantages will be removed too.
Stigma is another challenge faced by those living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, admits Daniel. “There’s a blame culture around both types of diabetes — a feeling that a person somehow caused their own condition. That’s unfair. People need to better understand this condition, and also recognise that it isn’t just a physical condition. There is a mental and emotional aspect to it, which must also be taken into consideration.”
