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(08) 6110 0570admin@pdchealthhub.com.auCompare the finger-prick meters used in Australia, see which strips the NDSS subsidises, and answer two quick questions to find the ones worth talking through with a credentialled diabetes educator.
A blood glucose meter measures the glucose in a small drop of blood from your fingertip. You get one number, at that moment, in about 5 seconds. Many people living with diabetes use a meter as their main way of checking, and people who wear a CGM keep one to confirm readings and as a backup.
PHOTO NEEDED · Adult client doing a finger-prick check at a kitchen table, meter and strip visible, face visible, natural light. Landscape 4:3.
PHOTO NEEDED · Close-up of a fingertip with a small drop of blood touching the end of a test strip in a meter, no brand names readable. Landscape 4:3.
A meter reads blood directly, so it is the check to use before treating a hypo, before correcting a high, and when a CGM reading does not match how you feel.
PHOTO NEEDED · Adult checking a meter in a car before driving, meter screen facing the camera with no brand visible, face visible. Landscape 4:3.
If you use insulin or some tablets that can cause a hypo, a check before driving and during illness is part of staying safe. We help you plan when to check.
PHOTO NEEDED · Credentialled diabetes educator and client at a clinic desk reviewing meter results on a phone app, both faces visible. Landscape 4:3.
Checks taken at planned times, such as before and 2 hours after a meal, show how food, activity and medicines affect you. Many meters send results to a phone app you can share with your diabetes team.
From a drop of blood to a number on the screen takes four steps and a few seconds.
Illustration, not to scale. The strip draws in a tiny drop of blood and the meter reads the reaction.
A lancing device fires a very fine lancet a short way into the skin. Using the side of the fingertip rather than the pad is recommended, and most people find it hurts less.
Touch the end of the strip to the drop and it soaks the blood up on its own. Most meters need less than 1 microlitre, a drop about the size of a pinhead.
Glucose in the blood reacts with an enzyme on the strip and makes a tiny electrical current. More glucose makes a bigger current.
The meter turns the current into your glucose level in mmol/L, usually in about 5 seconds. Many meters then send it to an app by Bluetooth.
Most odd readings come from technique rather than the meter. These four habits make the biggest difference. The numbers match the markers on the drawing, and on a phone you can tap a marker to read its note.
Illustration only. Your lancing device and meter may look different.
Sugar from fruit, food or drinks on your fingers can give a falsely high reading. Warm water helps blood flow. Wipes containing alcohol can dry the skin, so soap and water is best.
Change fingers each time so the skin does not get sore. Do not squeeze hard: gently massage from the base of the finger towards the tip instead.
Too small a drop can give a low result or an error. Some meters let you add more blood within 60 seconds; check your meter's instructions.
Check the expiry date, keep strips in their closed container, and keep them out of heat, such as a car in summer. Run a control solution check if your results seem wrong.
How often you check depends on how your diabetes is managed. These are the general Australian guides. Your own targets and timing are set with your diabetes team.
Checking is recommended for everyone using insulin, and for people taking tablets that can cause a hypo, such as sulfonylureas. Checks are usually before meals, before bed, before driving and exercise, and whenever you feel unwell or think you are low. People living with type 1 diabetes who do not use a CGM usually check at least 6 to 10 times a day.
If your medicines do not cause hypos, routine daily checking is not usually needed. Your GP or diabetes team may suggest checks for a set time to answer a question, such as how a meal, a new medicine or exercise affects your glucose.
For many adults the general target is 4.0 to 7.0 mmol/L before meals and 5.0 to 10.0 mmol/L two hours after starting a meal. Targets differ in pregnancy, for children and for older adults, so ask your diabetes team for yours.
A reading below 4.0 mmol/L is a hypo, even if you feel fine. Treat it with fast-acting carbohydrate, then check again after 15 minutes. If you wear a CGM, a finger-prick check before treating is advised, but never delay treatment when you have symptoms and cannot check.
When you are unwell, check your glucose every 2 to 4 hours, and more often if you use insulin. If you live with type 1 diabetes or take an SGLT2 inhibitor, you may also need to check blood ketones. A blood ketone level of 1.5 mmol/L or more needs urgent advice, and 3.0 mmol/L or more means go to an emergency department or call 000.
If you use insulin or tablets that can cause a hypo, check before you drive and every 2 hours on longer trips. Do not drive if your glucose is 5.0 mmol/L or lower. After a hypo, wait at least 30 minutes after your glucose is back above 5.0 mmol/L before driving.
Call us to book a consult. We set your targets with you, check your technique and plan when to check.
Call (08) 6110 0570Answer two quick questions about the features you want, and the list of meters below filters to match, best match first. Every meter in the results uses NDSS-subsidised strips.
Question 1 of 2
Often advised for people living with type 1 diabetes, and on sick days for people taking an SGLT2 inhibitor.
Bluetooth meters send each result to an app you can share with your diabetes team.
Blood ketone strips are not NDSS subsidised, so they are bought at the pharmacy. We can show you when and how to check ketones on sick days.
Nothing fits every answer. Try a different priority, or book a consult and we will work through the options with you.
Based on the NDSS strip list (January 2026) and Australian supplier information checked 18 September 2026. Your diabetes team makes the final call on which meter suits you.
Every meter listed below, including some no longer sold. Answer the questions above to filter this list, or select a meter for the full details.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
PHOTO NEEDED · Product photo goes in this meter's Meter Image field in the CMS. White or transparent background, 1200px wide.
The National Diabetes Services Scheme subsidises blood glucose strips for eligible people living with diabetes. Registration is free, and our team can help you register and choose a meter.
Everyone registered with the NDSS who uses insulin. People living with type 2 diabetes who do not use insulin can get strips when a health professional has advised them to check their glucose.
A box of 100 NDSS strips costs $15.00, or $1.20 with a concession card and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Strips are free for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a concession card, and for Safety Net SN card holders. Prices are indexed each January.
The first supply covers six months. The NDSS suspended the extension form in 2020, so at present access continues without one. Talk to your health professional if you still need to check after six months.
From an NDSS Access Point, usually a community pharmacy. Show your NDSS card or give your NDSS number. Blood ketone strips are not on the NDSS and are bought at the pharmacy.
OneTouch Verio strips left the NDSS in November 2023, Accu-Chek Aviva in July 2024, TRUE Metrix in January 2025 and Rightest GS700 in 2025. If you still use one of these meters, switch to a meter with NDSS strips.
Checked 18 September 2026 against the NDSS strip order form (January 2026).
Call us and we will help you register with the NDSS and choose a meter.
Call (08) 6110 0570Four steps from the first conversation to checking with confidence.
Book with a credentialled diabetes educator. We look at how your diabetes is managed and how often checking would help you.
We help you register with the NDSS if you are not already, and choose a meter that suits how you check.
We set up your meter and app with you, practise a check together and show you how to store strips and dispose of lancets safely.
We go through your results with you, set your targets and plan when to check, including sick days and driving.
The terms that come up most when you start checking your glucose.
Millimoles per litre, the unit Australian meters use for glucose. Some overseas meters and apps show mg/dL; 18 mg/dL is about 1 mmol/L.
The blood from the tiny vessels just under your skin, which is what a fingertip check measures.
A liquid with a known amount of glucose, used to check that your meter and strips are working. Your meter's instructions say when to use it.
The international accuracy standard for meters. At least 95% of results must be within 0.83 mmol/L of a laboratory test below 5.5 mmol/L, and within 15% at higher levels.
Chemicals made when the body burns fat for fuel because there is not enough insulin. Some meters check them with a separate strip.
A laboratory blood test that shows your average glucose over the past 2 to 3 months. It complements your daily checks rather than replacing them.
What people usually ask about blood glucose meters.
Yes. The NDSS advises a finger-prick check when your symptoms do not match your CGM, when glucose may be changing quickly, before correcting a high and before treating a hypo. You also need one while a new sensor warms up or if a sensor fails.
A CGM reads the fluid under your skin, which runs about 6 to 12 minutes behind your blood. When glucose is rising or falling quickly, the two can differ a lot. When they disagree and you feel unwell, trust the finger-prick check.
Meters sold in Australia are expected to meet ISO 15197:2013. Use strips before their expiry date, store them properly and run a control solution check if results seem wrong. If you are worried, bring your meter to your next appointment and we will check it with you.
OneTouch Verio and TRUE Metrix strips are no longer on the NDSS, and the Accu-Chek Mobile is no longer sold new. Book in with us and we will move you to a meter with NDSS strips and copy your targets across.
Not always. If you use insulin or a sulfonylurea, checking is recommended. If your medicines do not cause hypos, your GP or diabetes team may suggest checking for a short time to answer a question rather than every day.
[1] National Diabetes Services Scheme. Blood glucose monitoring strips. ndss.com.au, updated July 2026; Monitoring strips order form NDSSFRM014, January 2026.
[2] NDSS and ADEA. Capillary blood glucose monitoring: a guide for health professionals, version 1.0.0, September 2025.
[3] RACGP. Management of type 2 diabetes: a handbook for general practice, updated May 2026. NDSS fact sheet, Blood glucose monitoring, version 4, November 2021.
[4] ADEA and Diabetes Australia. Clinical guiding principles for sick day management of adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, version 4.1.0, June 2025. Austroads. Assessing Fitness to Drive, 2022 edition.
[5] NDSS product change notices, November 2023 to July 2026, including the TRUE METRIX critical product correction, March 2026; Australian product information from Roche, Ascensia, Abbott, Pharmaco and Nipro.
General information only, checked 18 September 2026. Products, subsidies and prices change, so check ndss.com.au or call the NDSS Helpline on 1800 637 700. PDC Health Hub is not affiliated with any meter manufacturer.
Book with one of our credentialled diabetes educators to choose a meter, register with the NDSS and learn a technique you can trust. Already checking? We can help you make sense of your numbers.
Or go straight to a service
Phone (08) 6110 0570 · Meter set-up and technique checks by our credentialled diabetes educators · Medicare, NDIS, DVA and private options across our services
For GPs, endocrinologists and nurse practitioners
Use our online referral form and tick Diabetes Education. Our credentialled diabetes educators can set up a meter, check technique and targets, and send a summary back to you.
