An update on the NDSS Dexcom G6-G7 transition process

News out yesterday from the NDSS outlines the revised process for current Dexcom G6 users once the product is discontinued from the Scheme on 1 October 2026.

Current G6 registrants will be automatically transitioned to G7 sensors, meaning that an appointment with a diabetes healthcare professional is no longer required. It is our decision if we choose to meet with our HCP to discuss transitioning to a different device. Common sense prevails!

The change in process follows community pushback about the unnecessary burden expected of people with diabetes to see a healthcare professional for a simple technology upgrade. My article, written when I first received notification of the original policy (shared below), outlines my concerns, many of which were echoed by others in the community.

While this change is indeed a win, I will say a couple of things. The burden for demanding a change to the original policy fell on the community. Other than writing the post below (and this one), I took time to contact the NDSS, Diabetes Australia, the office of the Australian Health Minister, my local MP and the Department of Health. I spoke with a number of people in the community who were frustrated, disappointed and distressed at the process that had initially been proposed, and I helped draft letters for them to send to their local MPs.

That should not have been required, and I believe that it would NOT have been needed had people with diabetes been actively and meaningfully involved in discussions when news of the discontinuation of the G6 was first known.

Another change is that some of the paternalistic language from the original communication about the transition had been changed. In this one there is nothing suggesting that a health professional is the one to determine the most suitable device for us.

However, this paragraph does perhaps provide a glimpse into role of lived experience when it comes to NDSS policy and programs:

Working together to improve the experience of people living with diabetes

Diabetes Australia, the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, healthcare professionals and diabetes sector stakeholders are committed to ensuring that that the NDSS processes remain safe, evidence-based and centred on the needs of people living with diabetes.

I would suggest the glaring omission from the ‘commitment-making’ list is people with diabetes who, perhaps better than anyone else, would ensure that our needs are in fact centred. No one has safety in mind more than someone living with the condition. If processes are genuinely to be centred on our needs, people with diabetes must be directly involved in shaping them, not merely referenced as the people these decisions affect.

Details about transitioning to G7 (from G6) can be found on the NDSS website here.