Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
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 address gaps in the usage of insulin pumps between (a) people with diabetes living in the most deprived areas and (b) people with diabetes living in the least deprived areas.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England firmly supports and encourages local integrated care boards to adopt National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance in relation to the management of Type 1 diabetes, which includes recommended use of insulin pump.
NHS England is using the Core20PLUS5 approach to support the reduction of healthcare inequalities at both national and system level. A clinical focus for Core20PLUS5 for children and young people includes diabetes.
The approach targets populations living in 20% of the most deprived areas as identified by the national Index of Multiple Deprivation and identifies five focussed clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and (b) clinical commissioning groups on the rollout of Libre Two sensors to manage diabetes.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There have been no recent discussions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its guidance on real-time and intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring, such as FreeStyle Libre 2 sensors for eligible patients. The newly established integrated care boards will take this guidance into account in commissioning services for local populations.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Research to Reality, published in April, what discussions they have had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about embedding patient reported outcomes in their (1) methods, and (2) processes, for reviewing (a) medicines, and (b) medical devices.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Department participated in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) recent review of its methods and processes for health technology evaluations. Patient-reported outcome measures are embedded throughout NICE’s process and methods for reviewing medicines and medical devices.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Type 1 diabetics who would benefit from insulin pumps and glucose monitoring devices have access to these through the NHS.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends insulin pump therapy as an option for adults and children over the age of 12 years old with type 1 diabetes, provided that multiple-daily insulin therapy has already been tried to address specific problems related to glucose control. It also recommends that insulin pump therapy can be used for children younger than 12 years old with type 1 diabetes, provided specific criteria are met. Clinical commissioning groups are required to fund technologies recommended by NICE in its guidance.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for an artificial pancreas to be available through the NHS for children and young people with type one diabetes.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England and NHS Improvement are collecting data on use of closed loop systems as part of the hybrid closed loop pilot. This data is due to be analysed in April 2022. The findings will be shared with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to inform a multiple technology appraisal. The outcome of this appraisal is expected to be published in autumn 2022. This will determine whether the technology will be offered on the National Health Service and which patients it is recommended for. If recommended, trusts would be expected to routinely offer the system in line with NICE’s guidance within six months of the guidance being published.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timetable is for conclusion of the pilot of the closed loop technology to continually monitor blood glucose and adjust insulin given for type one diabetics; and what estimate he has made of when that technology will be widely available to all suitable type one diabetics.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently collecting data on the use of closed loop systems as part of the hybrid closed loop pilot. The data collected is due to be analysed in April 2022. The findings will be shared with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to inform a multiple technology appraisal. The outcome of this appraisal is expected in autumn 2022. This will determine whether the technology will be offered in the National Health Service and which patients it is recommended for. If recommended by NICE, trusts would be expected to routinely offer the technology within six months of the publication of the guidance.
Asked by: James Duddridge (Conservative - Rochford and Southend East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of continual glucose monitors in treating diabetes.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department has not made any recent assessment. Commissioning decisions for the adoption of technology products in diabetes are guided by authoritative, evidence-based guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
NICE has made a number of recommendations on continuous glucose monitoring in its suite of guidelines on diabetes, which are currently being updated. NICE will consider the evidence on and expects to publish its updated guidance in March 2022.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
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 increase the use of Freestyle Libra glucose monitoring equipment in the NHS to help monitor and control diabetes.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The NHS Long Term Plan set out a commitment that “in line with clinical guidelines, patients with type 1 diabetes benefit from life changing flash glucose monitors from April 2019, ending the variation patients in some parts of the country are facing”. This commitment was followed by published guidance in March 2019, which set out new national funding arrangements and included a specific target for 20% of all type 1 diabetics in England to receive access to flash glucose monitoring by March 2021.
By July 2020, 31.5% of all people living with type 1 diabetes in England had access to this technology. By March 2021, uptake had risen to 47%. As of 1 April 2021, commissioning and financial responsibility reverted to local commissioners, who are continuing to support patient access to this technology.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the aims of the Cheque for Tech Diabetes funding campaign.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The £559 million technology funding for NHSX announced in the Spending Review is not disease specific but covers the infrastructure and whole pathways work for all major diseases, including diabetes. This investment will support the National Health Service frontline, help fast track innovation and deliver a better experience for patients and staff alike.
In addition to this work and as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England and NHS Improvement committed to both improving the pipeline of innovation and speeding up the uptake and spread, so that proven and affordable innovations get to patients faster. It sets out a number of specific commitments in relation to the treatment of people living with diabetes and supporting the adoption of new technologies.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of allocating funding for a National Diabetes Technology fund to ensure equitable patient access to diabetes technology.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The NHS has made substantial progress on digital transformation, both in the digitisation of local services and the use of technology to improve outcomes for patients. The £559 million technology funding for NHSX announced in the Spending Review is not disease specific but covers the infrastructure and whole pathways work for all major diseases, including diabetes. This investment will support the National Health Service frontline, help fast track innovation, and deliver a better experience for patients and staff alike.