Be Ready: When diabetes is part of the plan

Lifestyle & Living

The UK Government is encouraging households to prepare for three days of disruption. But when someone in your home lives with diabetes, being ready involves a few extra considerations.

A torch in the kitchen drawer. A few bottles of water in the cupboard. A portable phone charger, preferably one that hasn’t been sitting empty since your last holiday.

Emergency preparedness isn’t usually the most exciting item on anyone’s to-do list. But a new UK Government campaign is encouraging households to give it a little more thought.

Launched on 22 October 2026, Be Ready asks people to consider how they would manage if everyday services — electricity, running water, phone networks or the internet — were temporarily unavailable.

At the heart of the campaign is a simple recommendation: prepare to manage for three days, or 72 hours, during an emergency.

For many households, that might mean keeping some non-perishable food, bottled water and a torch somewhere accessible.

But what if someone in your home relies on insulin? Or uses an insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or other medical equipment?

Suddenly, the contents of an emergency cupboard deserve a little more attention.

Why 72 hours?

The government’s campaign isn’t a warning that a particular emergency is imminent. Instead, it is intended to help households cope with the sorts of disruptions that can happen following severe weather, flooding, infrastructure failures or other unexpected events.

A prolonged power cut, for example, could affect far more than the lights. Refrigeration, heating, internet access and, in some circumstances, mobile communications may also be disrupted.

The government is encouraging people to take practical, manageable steps in advance rather than attempting to solve everything during an emergency.

And the advice is deliberately flexible. Not everyone can afford to purchase additional supplies immediately, and not every household has the same needs.

For people living with diabetes, those differences are particularly relevant.

When everyday technology becomes essential

Diabetes technology has changed considerably over recent years.

Continuous glucose monitors can provide regular glucose readings, while insulin pumps and automated insulin-delivery systems can reduce some of the work involved in day-to-day management.

For many people, these devices are woven into ordinary life. A glance at a phone, a notification from a sensor or an insulin adjustment can become as familiar as checking the time.

But medical technology also brings practical dependencies.

Some devices need charging. Others rely on replaceable batteries, compatible smartphones or dedicated receivers. Certain features may require connectivity, while others continue working without an internet connection.

The important distinction is that a power cut doesn’t necessarily mean a diabetes device will stop working. What happens depends on the equipment being used.

The government’s power-cut guidance specifically recommends that people using connected health equipment, including diabetes sensors, speak to their device provider or manufacturer about how it would function during an outage.

It’s a worthwhile question to ask before the lights go out.

Does your equipment need a phone to display readings? How long does its battery last? Which features work without Wi-Fi or mobile data? And what should you do if the system becomes unavailable?

For someone using an insulin pump, understanding the agreed backup method of insulin delivery is particularly important. This should be discussed with their diabetes team in advance, rather than worked out during a disruption.

A printed copy of the relevant instructions could be surprisingly useful.

The question of insulin storage

Then there’s the fridge.

Insulin storage is one of the more obvious concerns during an extended power cut, but it’s also an area where general advice can be misleading.

Unopened insulin generally needs refrigeration, while many insulin products can be kept at room temperature for a specified period once in use. The exact temperature limits and timeframes depend on the particular product.

Insulin must not be frozen, and excessive heat can also affect its effectiveness.

That means there isn’t one universal rule for how long every insulin product can safely remain outside a working refrigerator.

If your household uses insulin, it’s worth checking the manufacturer’s storage instructions and asking your pharmacist or diabetes team what to do if refrigeration becomes unavailable.

Consider where you would find that information if your internet connection wasn’t working.

And resist the temptation to improvise with ice or frozen cooling packs placed directly against insulin. Freezing can damage it.

The aim isn’t to create a complicated refrigeration system at home. It’s to understand the storage requirements of the medication you actually use and have a sensible plan for an interruption.

More than three days of food

The Be Ready campaign also encourages households to keep bottled water and food that can be eaten without cooking.

For someone living with diabetes, however, an emergency food supply may need a little more consideration than a few tins at the back of a cupboard.

Depending on the person’s treatment, they may need access to carbohydrate-containing foods, familiar meals, suitable drinks and supplies for treating low blood glucose.

People who use insulin or certain other glucose-lowering medicines may be at risk of hypoglycaemia, commonly called a hypo.

The NHS recommends keeping a fast-acting source of glucose available, such as glucose tablets or an appropriate sugary drink, to treat a hypo.

It’s worth thinking about where these supplies are kept and whether they’re easy to reach, including in the dark.

An emergency cupboard doesn’t need to resemble a specialist medical storeroom. But it should reflect the people who actually live in the house.

And if someone has particular dietary requirements, mobility needs or other medical conditions, those deserve consideration too.

Don’t forget the people you live with

Preparedness isn’t solely the responsibility of the person managing diabetes.

If you share a home with someone who uses insulin or diabetes technology, there are useful things you can understand without taking over their care.

Do you know where their emergency supplies are kept? Would you recognise the signs of a severe hypo? Do you know who to contact if they need medical assistance?

These are conversations worth having together, with the person’s agreement.

For example, a household could keep a written list of emergency contacts, medication details and device instructions in an accessible place.

The government’s guidance recommends writing down important phone numbers, including healthcare contacts, rather than relying entirely on a smartphone.

It also suggests adding appropriate emergency medical information to a phone’s Medical ID or emergency-contact settings, while being mindful of privacy.

For households where someone has diabetes, a shared plan can help remove uncertainty without making the condition the centre of family life.

One free step that’s easy to overlook

Among the Be Ready campaign’s recommendations is something that costs nothing: checking eligibility for the Priority Services Register.

This free service helps energy suppliers and network operators identify customers who may need additional assistance during power interruptions.

Diabetes UK advises that people living with diabetes can ask to be included.

Depending on individual circumstances and the provider, support can include advance notification of planned outages, updates during disruptions and additional assistance when needed.

Registration does not guarantee an uninterrupted electricity supply or immediate restoration. But it can help providers understand who may require extra support.

Households should also check arrangements with their water supplier, as water companies operate their own priority-support schemes.

It’s a relatively small piece of administration that could make an unexpected disruption easier to manage.

A practical starting point

If you’re wondering where to begin, consider these questions:

  • Medication: Do you have sufficient prescribed medication and know how it should be stored during a disruption?
  • Diabetes equipment: Do you understand what happens if your pump, sensor, phone or receiver stops working?
  • Backup arrangements: Have you agreed a suitable plan with your diabetes team for equipment failure or interrupted insulin delivery?
  • Glucose monitoring: Are the appropriate backup monitoring supplies available and within their expiry dates?
  • Food and drink: Does your household’s emergency supply include suitable everyday food, drinking water and, where needed, hypo treatments?
  • Power: Are your phone and any compatible backup charging equipment ready to use?
  • Important information: Could you find medication details, device instructions and emergency contacts without internet access?
  • Additional support: Have you checked whether your household can join the relevant Priority Services Registers?

You don’t need to complete everything in one afternoon.

In fact, the government’s advice explicitly recognises that households can build up their preparations gradually.

Prepared, not preoccupied

There is something reassuring about knowing where the torch is, having a charged power bank and understanding what to do if the fridge stops working.

Not because we’re expecting disaster, but because unexpected interruptions are an ordinary part of life.

For households living with diabetes, a little preparation can also mean fewer decisions to make under pressure.

The important thing is to create a plan that suits the person, their treatment and the household around them — rather than assuming one emergency checklist will work for everybody.

Three days is a useful starting point.

What matters is making those three days work for you.

Useful resources

A note on health and wellbeing

This article provides general information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. Diabetes treatments, devices and emergency requirements vary. Speak with your diabetes care team or pharmacist about medication storage, backup insulin delivery, glucose monitoring and your personal emergency plan. If someone is seriously unwell or experiencing a medical emergency, call 999.