All people with diabetes should receive high quality care, no matter where they live. People with diabetes in prisons can find it difficult to manage their diabetes due to a lack of specialist healthcare professional input, care planning and case management, and self-monitoring facilities.
Guidance on use of Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) in prisons and secure centres
NHS England and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have worked together and confirmed that continuous glucose monitors can be used across secured and detained estates for adults and young people across England.
The continuous glucose monitors must be a Freestyle Libre 2 or Dexcom ONE and used with a reader rather than a mobile phone.
This means these continuous glucose monitors (CGM) should be available to detained adults or those under 18 using the same access criteria as for people in the community.
The benefits of CGM include:
- letting you check your sugar levels without you having to prick your fingers.
- being able to set an alarm to sound if your sugar levels go too low or too high.
Who is eligible for a CGM?
NICE guidance says:
- Anyone with type 1 diabetes.
- Anyone under 18 with type 2 diabetes if they have a need, condition or disability preventing them from monitoring their levels.
- Anyone over 18 with type 2 diabetes if they use more than one daily insulin injection and meet other criteria
- A CGM should also be considered for pregnant women with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes with severe hypos.
In detained settings the CGM must be used with a reader not a mobile phone.
There is no guidance on hybrid closed loop systems and insulin pumps or their use in prisons or centres. This is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Where can healthcare professionals get more information?
NHS England has issued new guidance on safe use of CGM in detention centres, including frequently answered questions. Find out more by registering into the NHS Futures Platform. You’ll need an NHS email address. Look for the guidance in the Health and Justice Pharmacy and Medicines section in the information on Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices.
Where can people with diabetes get more information?
Find out the latest guidelines on who is eligible for a CGM on our tech NHS eligibility page.
Use the following resources to improve care for people with diabetes in prison settings.
Resources for people in prison
Download our free Having diabetes in prison guide from our shop
Essential reading
-
Diabetes behind bars: considerations for managing diabetes within the prison setting and after release, Diabetes on the Net website (2015) (free, login required)
-
Diabetes management within the prison setting, Diabetes on the Net website (2014) (free, login required)
-
A captive audience: tackling diabetes and obesity in the prison setting, Diabetes on the Net website (2013) (free, login required)
-
Break down these walls: diabetes care and management in a prison environment (2014)
