Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase of type 2 diabetes; and what work is being done to identify best practice and share knowledge throughout the UK.

The NHS Health Check programme is a risk assessment and management programme aimed at preventing a range of illnesses, including diabetes. Economic modelling has shown that potentially it can prevent more than 4,000 people a year from developing diabetes.

Public Health England is supporting local authorities to deliver the NHS Health Check programme. Take up continues to improve with the number of checks being undertaken up by 13% compared to the same period last year.

Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs) focus on priority service areas to help improve the quality and equity of care and outcomes by bringing together those who use, provide and commission services in the area they serve. There are 12 Cardiovascular Disease Strategic Clinical Networks, 10 of which have dedicated diabetes clinical leads, and they support the prevention of Type 2 diabetes, and identify and share good practice within their areas. Diabetes UK is supporting meetings between the NHS England National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes, and the diabetes clinical leads and associate directors of the SCNs to help ensure that best practice is shared across all 12 regional networks.