BARNSLEY Hospital welcomed its first patient to a trial which hopes to provide a new treatment for people with diabetes who are suffering with coronavirus.

The ARCADIA trial hopes for a potentially a life-saving new therapy for people with diabetes - a group of patients who are at an increased risk of severe Covid-19, with one in three people who have died with the virus in England’s hospitals having either type one or two diabetes.

Funding secured from the UK government enables the trial to go ahead at speed in 150 patients over a four-month timeframe at multiple sites across the UK.

A spokesperson for Barnsley Hospital said: “Congratulations to our research nurses and Dr Elizabeth Uchegbu for recruiting Barnsley’s first patient to the ARCADIA trial.

“The trial hopes to provide a new treatment for people with diabetes suffering from Covid-19.”