Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage Clinical Commissioning Groups to recommend the prescription of surgically implanted glucose sensors for the management of Type 1 diabetes.

Surgically implanted glucose sensors are not currently available for prescribing in primary care. To be available for prescribing, a medical device must be listed in Part IX of the England and Wales Drug Tariff.

Any device made available for prescribing to patients through listing in Part IX is required to meet set criteria, namely that the product is safe and of good quality, it is appropriate for general practice and, if relevant, non-medical prescribing, and it is cost effective.

The NHS Business Services Authority carries out the assessment of Part IX applications by manufacturers on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health, for prescribing at National Health Service expense by an appropriate practitioner. However, the listing of a medical device in the Drug Tariff should not be interpreted as a recommendation to prescribe a particular product.

Within its financial constraints, the NHS is committed to providing access to new drugs and medical technologies. Ultimately it is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.