Dogs being trained to help treat patients with diabetes are being supported by doctors at Hendon Hospital.

The Hypo Hounds voluntary organisation that specialises in training dogs to help people who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes has been chosen as the hospital’s ‘charity of the year’.

“Having a dog that can detect when the blood sugars are high can be lifesaving,” the hospital’s director Stephen Wright explained. “We have patients and colleagues who are diabetic.

“The partnership with Hypo Hounds is to raise awareness of the condition, as it affects so many people. The dogs can also detect and alert any person whose blood sugar levels are dangerously low or high. Money raised from the hospital is going towards training a new dog to help someone in the North London community."

The funds are being matched by Circle Health Group which runs the hospital in Sunny Gardens.

“We chose Hypo Hounds as our charity for 2024 because they play a vital role at the heart of the community,” the hospital director added.

“This is an opportunity to support volunteers who go the extra mile.”

Trained dogs are also being seen as “a comforting presence” that offer offering emotional support to patients and their families.

More than four million people are living with some form of diabetes in Britain today, according to data from Diabetes UK, including 29,000 children.