Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made representations to clinical commissioning groups encouraging them to offer the Freestyle Libre blood glucose monitoring system to people living with diabetes as a result of the NHS Business Service Authority’s decision to approve the system for prescription on the NHS.

The flash glucose testing monitoring system known as Freestyle Libre was approved for reimbursement on National Health Service prescription from 1 November 2017 through its listing in Part IX of the NHS England and Wales Drug Tariff.

The listing of a medical device in the Drug Tariff should not be interpreted as a recommendation to prescribe a particular product. Flash glucose testing is not suitable for everyone. The Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee has issued advice on the use of Freestyle Libre to support decisions about its use. Patients will need to discuss the ongoing management of their condition with their healthcare professional and consider whether flash glucose monitoring is suitable for them.

The Department has no plans to ask clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to review their prescribing policies or monitor access to flash glucose monitoring.

Within its financial constraints, the NHS is committed to providing access to new drugs and medical technologies. Ultimately it is for 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, are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines. This includes determining whether specific technologies, such as flash glucose monitoring, form part of their service and if it is suitable for individual patients to support the ongoing management of their condition.