A Southport GP who is one of the UK’s leading experts on diabetes is calling for blood glucose monitors to be given out on prescription to help prevent people falling seriously ill – while saving a fortune on over-stretched NHS budgets.
Dr David Unwin RCGP, a Clinical Expert in Diabetes who is based at the award-winning Norwood Surgery in Southport, has helped scores of patients with Type 2 go into remission through making informed changes to their diets.
His life-saving work – something he didn’t think was even possible earlier in his medical career – is made possible through helping patients learn which foods are good or bad for them.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is through using continuous blood glucose monitors.
Unfortunately these are not yet available on prescription to NHS patients until they become so ill they have to be prescribed insulin.
It’s something he is lobbying to change.
Dr Unwin was the special guest speaker at the last meeting of the Southport and Ormskirk Diabetes Support Group, which meets on a monthly basis.
The packed meeting at the Richmond pub in Southport saw dozens of people with the condition hear from a medical expert who has dedicated his life to helping patients make simple but effective steps to make substantial changes to their lives.
Dr Unwin has been credited with supporting over 150 people to drive their Type 2 Diabetes into remission through diet, without resorting to either surgery or weight loss medication.
His Norwood Surgery in Southport recently won the Practice Team Award 2025 for their outstanding work, while he will be featured on a special TV documentary this Thursday (8th January) at 8pm on Channel 4.
He spoke at The Richmond about ‘Continuous Blood Glucose Monitors – could they be helpful for pre-diabetic and Type 2 diabetic patients?’
He was joined by his wife, Dr Jen Unwin, also a medical expert and published author, who is a leading authority on food addiction with works including ‘The Fork in The Road’.
At Norwood Surgery there are 10,000 patients on the books. It is Dr Unwin’s campaigning work on diabetes that has seen him advising the Government on how best to treat the condition in ways which can best help families – while saving NHS budgets huge sums of money.
He is particularly keen to see investment in making continuous blood glucose monitors available through the NHS in greater numbers and at earlier stages of people’s ill health.
He believes these monitors can help patients educate themselves about the food they eat and the impact each has on their diabetes.
He explained that some foods have surprisingly high sugar content which can lead to unexpected spikes for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Breakfast cereals is one area he highlighted – one serving of cornflakes (30g) for example can contain the equivalent of 8.4 teaspoons of sugar which can radically impact people’s blood glucose levels.
Pure apple juice meanwhile scores even higher, at 8.6.
This is where continuous blood glucose monitors can make a big difference and support people to make better food choices, keeping them out of hospital, reducing the NHS drugs budget, and saving lives.
Dr Unwin is a big believer in encouraging people to not eat less, but better.
This includes increasing their protein intake with more red meat, fish, eggs and cheese, adding in lots of green vegetables, full fat dairy, nuts and berries (not sugary tropical fruits), giving people the basis for a nutrient-dense low-carb diet.
Speaking at the meeting, Dr Unwin said: “At Norwood Avenue we have some of the best results of any clinic in the world, particularly when it comes to drug-free Type 2 diabetes remission.
“This was something I had not seen not once in 25 years of medicine.
“I didn’t used to see people improve. They always just got sicker and sicker and they needed more and more drugs.
“Drug-free Type 2 diabetes remission is where someone comes off drugs and has a normal blood sugar.
“I didn’t know that was possible.
“And we have done that now 154 times.
“So this thing I never saw a single time, many doctors don’t see it at all.
“But they don’t see it because of the advice they give.
“Over the years, I have changed my advice a lot.
“The more sugary your blood is, the more your circulation is damaged.
“And that’s why doctors try very hard to improve the quality of your control.
“For most people with Type 2 diabetes, and I am one, a high blood sugar is something you ate.
“Now not always, because it can be if you’ve had an infection, or you are stressed, or you’re on steroids.
“But for 95% of people I see in every clinic I do, a high blood sugar is something they ate.
“They don’t always know what it is that they ate that put their blood sugar levels up.
“They know not to have sugar. But they don’t know what it is that is putting their blood sugar up.
“What we can use is a cutting edge device – it’s about Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring.
“I am wearing one now. I have a sensor in my arm and it’s telling my phone 24/7 what my blood sugar level is.
“If I cheat – if I eat a mince pie – if I have a bowl of corn flakes – my blood sugar doubles.
“I am up to 12. And I don’t feel good when I have a blood sugar level of 12.
“A blood glucose monitor is knowledge. It helps teach you what puts your blood sugar up.
“I know people who use them and have learned a lot.
“Unfortunately now, officially, I can’t give out continuous glucose monitors unless you are on insulin.
“And I think that’s unfair because that means I have to wait until you’re so sick that you’re on insulin for Type 2 diabetes.
“I have decided that we shouldn’t wait until people are very sick.
“If this continuous glucose monitor will help people learn, then we should be doing it on prescription earlier.
“I am lobbying the Government. I have met Wes Streeting and have told them what we should be doing.”
- The Diabetes Community Support Group meets every month at the Richmond pub on Scarisbrick New Road in Southport. The next meeting is on Monday 5th January 2026 at 7pm. The speaker is Podiatrist Fiona Stanforth from Brooks Total Footcare, Mawdesley, Ormskirk.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown or email: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
