Type 1 Diabetes: Infant Testing

Lee Pitcher Excerpts

Monday 9th March 2026 Westminster Hall

[Lee Pitcher (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I congratulate the hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Sarah Bool) on securing time to introduce the ten-minute rule Bill. If she wishes me to be part of her team, I am more than happy to do so.

First, let me express how utterly inspirational it is to see a family who have suffered so much heartache turn that grief into something that should mean no one else ever needs to lose a child in similar circumstances. Knowing about the debate, a parent in my constituency of Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme shared with me the experience of their child, who became acutely unwell with symptoms that, at first, appeared to be nothing more than a stomach bug. When they arrived at A&E, an astute and brilliant nurse carried out a simple finger-prick test for glucose that showed dangerously high blood glucose levels, and the child was rushed to emergency treatment for DKA.

The family were later told that, without that quick check and the treatment that followed, the outcome could have been far worse. The child spent several days in hospital recovering, and is now beginning to adapt to life with type 1 diabetes. Five months on, I have to say that he is doing exceptionally well. I have met him in the past; he does so much in the community, and he manages his condition like an absolute star.

That account underlines why this issue matters. The early symptoms of type 1 diabetes can look very similar to other common childhood illnesses; vomiting, dehydration and a child becoming increasingly unwell may not immediately point to diabetes, but they could be signs of a serious and fast-moving underlying condition. That is why I ask the Minister to find every way possible to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes through all levels, using all the levers of Government.

I am conscious of time, so I will jump to the fact that we need to ensure that this basic pin-prick test can be used consistently and in a planned way. That reasonable and proportionate step could spare families the trauma of seeing their child become critically unwell before they are diagnosed, or families having to endure the very worst. Around Christmas, I read an article in which Lyla’s dad mentioned that Lyla would definitely have got a sticker—

[Sir Alec Shelbrooke (in the Chair)]

Order.