Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on patients who do not have a diabetes diagnosis of restricting access to multi-disciplinary foot services for people with a diagnosis of diabetes only; what plans his Department has to ensure that there is equity of care for patients with foot ulcers who do not have a diabetes diagnosis; and if he will make a statement.

£75 million of targeted funding is being made available to sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care systems to support delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan commitments relating to the treatment and care of people living with diabetes. Part of this funding will support new or expanded services as we work towards the Long Term Plan commitment of universal access to multidisciplinary footcare teams for those who need them.

The National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) recognises the current inequity of care for patients who do not have a diabetes diagnosis. Although there is less research evidence to inform the care for people with foot ulcers but no diabetes, the principles of caring for these ulcers is the same and the NWCSP acknowledges that inequity of care is unacceptable.

The NWCSP, commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement, is currently recruiting three initial implementation sites to test the assumptions of the economic case outlined in their report which is available at the following link:

https://www.ahsnnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NWCSP-Implementing-the-Lower-Limb-Recommendations-15.12.20.pdf