At least 55,000 people have new tests in diabetes errors

Errors of machines to diagnose diabetes mean that at least 55,000 people in England need further blood tests, according to a BBC examination.

In some patients, type 2 diabetes were incorrectly diagnosed and even prescribed medication that they do not need – and more people could be affected, for example NHS England.

NHSE has confirmed that 16 hospital trusts use the machines made by Trinity Biotech and achieved the inaccurate test results.

In an explanation, Trinity Biotech says that it works closely with the British health regulatory authority and contacted all hospitals that use the machines.

The BBC reported that for the first time in September 2024 11,000 patients In view of a new exam for a machine in Luton and the Hospital, false diabetes results, false diabetes were achieved.

NHS England now says that Type -2 -Diabetes diagnoses rose by 10,000 in 2024, 4% more than expected.

The procedure known as hemoglobin A1C test measures the average blood sugar level, which is used to diagnose type -2 diabetes and for monitoring the condition.

According to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulator (MHRA), problems with the tests of these machines were reported for the first time in April 2024.

The BBC asked NHS England to confirm which trusts are affected.

Vicky Davies, 36, from Kingston on Hull, was first announced that she had type -2 diabetes in October 2024.

It was recommended to try to lose weight first, to send weight to the eye examination, and later prescribe what she understands, was the maximum dose of the diabetes drug metformin.

In April 2025 she had further blood tests as part of her three -month review and it was announced that she was not diabetic, which she assumed because she had been on metformin.

Later this month, however, she was told that her blood results might not have been correct and advised to get off the medication immediately.

During the four months in which she took metformin, she suffered from stomach problems and dizziness and still feels stressed.

“It has a big impact on my life. Since the diagnosis, I have suffered from stress and had to take a break to take part in appointments.

“I complained to my family doctor, but I didn’t really apologize. I’m just so angry,” she said to BBC News.

In a letter, Vickys GP practice told her that the problems in the laboratories were not aware of and added that they work to the best of strength with the available medical information.

The NHS trust, in which diabetes tests are carried out for Hull, is called

“We understand that this situation may have triggered concern and apologized for concern or fear,” said a spokesman for the NHS Foundation Trust from York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals.

In September 2024 a News 11,000 patients had to be tested again on the Bedfordshire Trust website.

Some of them could have been diagnosed incorrectly with type -2 diabetes

The trust apologized for “emotional stress and inconvenience”.

In July 2025 the Regulatory authority for medication and health products It said it received reports in which a positive distortion was described by the Trinity Biotech machines.

As a result, some patients were incorrectly diagnosed as pre -diabetics or diabetic.

NHS Trusts already commemorate patients for repeat tests and NHS England says that everyone who needs a repetition test is contacted by their family doctor or the local hospital.

It also adds that for people who may have been incorrectly diagnosed due to this problem, the risk is low and that they are first given advice to lifestyle and support programs are first offered.

Metformin, which may have been incorrectly prescribed for some of these patients, lowers blood sugar levels by improving the way the body deals with insulin.

If you accept these symptoms when taking diabetes medication:

• Hypoglycemia (shaking/trembling, sweating, confusion, loss of consciousness)
• and hyperglycaemia (excessive thirst, blurred vision, recurring infections)

The council is to seek medical help immediately.

Prof. Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPS, said that “mistakes can occur and do … The view of widespread technological failures like this will be of great importance for all GPS primarily because of unnecessary stress, inconvenience and anxiety, which they cause to our patients.”

Prof. Hawthorne said the priority was to minimize the effects on the patients, but there would also be a significant impact on the workload of the GPS and they would need support.

Dr. Clare Hambling, National Clinical Director of Diabetes for NHS England, said that a possible misdiagnosis of long-term condition such as type 2 diabetes is “understandably worrying, but the clinical risk of damage to patients who follow this problem is low”.

According to NHS England, less than 10% of their laboratories were affected and all of them either replaced or addressed calibration problems.

In response to an investigation by the BBC, Trinity Biotech said: “The company worked closely with the MHRA to solve the problems of some British laboratories with the system.”

The explanation also states that the company issued all British users in 2024 three field security awareness and they informed them about a potential positive distortion problem. ”

These communications included “repetitions of the details of the measures to be taken to ensure optimal operation of the system, whereby the focus is on the importance of the operation of the system according to the instructions of the manufacturer,” continued the explanation.