A lancet is a small, sharp needle primarily used to prick the skin and draw blood, playing a crucial role in diabetes management by facilitating blood glucose monitoring.

Beyond diabetes care, lancets are also utilised for other medical purposes, such as collecting blood samples for various tests including home cholesterol tests, haemoglobin tests and uric acid tests. These devices are designed for single use and must be disposed of safely in a sharps bin to prevent injury and contamination. Even after use, lancets retain their sharpness and pose a risk of infection if not properly discarded.

Obtaining a good finger prick blood sample is crucial to getting accurate results with any home blood test. We have created a video for each product which shows a great demonstration of exactly how you should be using the lancets and test provided, and the prep needed to perfuse the fingers.

We have put together our top tips on performing a finger prick blood test to help you here

A lancet can be used alone or with a lancing device. Many people find it easier to obtain a finger prick blood sample if they use the lancet in a lancing device.

Most of our meters are supplied with starter packs of lancets and some with safety lancets. We suggest you continue to use the same lancets recommended by the manufacturer if possible. If you are struggling to get adequate samples move to a thicker lance, ie 21g is thicker than 28g or 30g (the thinnest)