Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that access to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme will continue for all those who need it.
The Government is committed to tackling the burden of diabetes in England and to reducing the variation in access to diabetes prevention services across the country.
A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve this, it is crucial that we tackle preventable ill health, such as diabetes, by ensuring those at risk of developing, or already living with the disease, are identified, and can in turn be effectively treated.
We are continuing to deliver the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which is highly effective for those who attend. More than 840,000 people have been supported through this programme, and it has been found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37%, compared to those who did not attend.