NICE has published draft guidance recommending that women with type 1 diabetes who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should be offered a pregnancy-specific ‘artificial pancreas’ device.
The recommendation, published on 3 June 2026, marks the latest step in the health technology assessor’s push to improve access to treatments that can support safer and more effective care. The device is intended to help women manage blood glucose more precisely during a period when diabetes control is especially important for both mother and baby.
What the draft guidance says
The guidance states that women with type 1 diabetes who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should be offered the technology. NICE said the recommendation was set out in draft guidance published today, indicating that further consultation and decision-making may still follow before final adoption.
The announcement follows a series of recent NICE updates in May and June 2026 focused on increasing NHS access to new treatments and technologies, including medicines for resistant ovarian cancer and specialist liver preservation machines. Those items were also published by NICE in its news section in the same period. NICE news articles
Why the recommendation matters for maternity and diabetes care
Type 1 diabetes in pregnancy is a high-stakes area of care, because tighter glucose management can reduce risks and improve outcomes. A pregnancy-specific device is designed to support that need with more tailored technology than standard systems.
NICE’s draft position suggests the device may become part of routine care for a group of patients who require close monitoring and specialist support. The recommendation is aimed at women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, which places it squarely in the overlap between diabetes care and maternity services.
Part of a wider run of NICE decisions
The latest guidance arrives after NICE also published draft guidance on 20 May 2026 recommending four specialist liver preservation machines for routine NHS use, and final draft guidance on 14 May 2026 opening routine NHS access to two spinal muscular atrophy treatments. NICE also updated neonatal infection guidance on 13 May 2026 to allow some babies to switch to oral antibiotics and potentially continue treatment at home. NICE news articles
For clinicians and patients, the broader pattern is clear: NICE continues to prioritise technologies and treatments that can expand access, improve outcomes and support NHS services. In this case, the focus is on giving women with type 1 diabetes a more specialised option during pregnancy, when the margin for error is small and the need for reliable care is high.
The draft guidance now moves into the next stage of NICE’s process, with the final decision determining whether the technology will be adopted more broadly across NHS care.
