Mapmydiabetes won the Bionow Technical Service Award at the 2014 Bionow Annual Awards, which showcase the best of companies and businesses in the life sciences sector in the North of the UK.

Dr Sally Spencer from Lancaster University helped develop the project together with regional GPs and the company Mapmyhealth.

Dr Spencer said: “This is an innovative system that will potentially help patients and their families to manage their diabetes more effectively. Diabetes impacts many different aspects of life and is often not well managed, leading to risk of complications with significant health consequences and reduced quality of life. Mapmydiabetes represents a very important step-change in enabling people to manage a serious health condition in conjunction with healthcare professionals.”

It is estimated that by 2030, there will be 4.6 million people in England alone living with diabetes, up from 3m in 2010.

Annual NHS spending on the disease is predicted to rise from £9bn to over £16bn over the next 25 years.

Mapmydiabetes is a digital support system aimed at patients so they can manage their condition   together with their doctor. It is based around an agreed care plan for diabetes, providing a reference document for all face-to-face meetings with healthcare professionals.

Patients can learn about and monitor their condition through sharing data and setting targets together with their nurse or doctor.

It also provides everything from reminders, prompts and care-plans to diabetes recipes, cooking techniques and exercise plans.