The devices continually monitor an individual's glucose levels and then automatically adjust the amount of insulin given to them through a pump.

NHS England is providing £14.1m to local health systems to provide the technology to patients for the first year and is encouraging all prescribing trusts to review patients that are eligible for the Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) system and already using other diabetes technology including continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps.

The mass rollout of the artificial pancreas builds on a successful pilot of the technology by NHS England, which saw 835 adults and children with type 1 diabetes given devices to improve the management of their condition.

Dr Clare Hambling, NHS national clinical director for diabetes, said: ‘The NHS continues to lead the way in care and treatment for people with diabetes and this is just the latest example of those efforts – by ensuring cost-effectiveness of the latest technology, we can roll out these groundbreaking devices to thousands more eligible patients over the next five years. 

‘The technology behind the Hybrid Closed Loop systems will be completely lifechanging for many people living with type 1 diabetes, promising a better quality of life as well as clinical outcomes.'

The roll out will be a phased over five years, as the specialist clinical workforce in adult services build the skills in order to prescribe HCL systems.