Health: Diabetes

Lord Collins of Highbury Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd July 2013 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, I am aware of the issue that the noble Lord raises. He will know that NHS commissioners are statutorily required to fund clinically appropriate drugs and treatments which have been recommended by NICE. The Centre for Workforce Intelligence has been commissioned to review the ophthalmology medical workforce after discussions were held between the royal college and Health Education England earlier this year. That review is due to report in the summer and the results of it should, I hope, point the way to a resolution of the issue that the noble Lord has raised.

[Lord Collins of Highbury]

My Lords, as a type 2 diabetic, I benefit from annual retinal check-ups at UCH; it is an excellent service. However, despite there being a national screening programme, there is a large variation in take-up, which in some areas is as low as 65%. What steps are the Government taking to ensure a higher and more consistent take-up?

[Earl Howe]

In the end, accepting the offer of screening is a matter for each individual. There are some people who, for personal reasons, will choose not to take up the offer. However, as part of the process of continuous improvement, we would expect the gap between the number of people offered and the number of people receiving screening to reduce, and for there to be greater consistency in numbers offered and received across local screening programmes.