Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of improving diabetes care on reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease.

The relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well known, as adults with diabetes are two to three times more likely to develop CVD and are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease and stroke compared to those without.

We know that receiving all eight National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended care processes, such as monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol, significantly reduces mortality for all causes, and from CVD causes specifically, for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, compared to those who received five or less of these processes.

We continue to improve care for those with diabetes. For those who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and who are overweight or obese, the highly effective NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme is available.

We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with diabetes, as we develop the plan.