Written questions, answers and statements

Diabetes: Screening

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Question for Department of Health and Social Care

UIN 24525, tabled on 16 January 2025

Question

Tom Gordon
Liberal Democrat
Harrogate and Knaresborough
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a national screening programme for Type 1 Diabetes.

Answer

Andrew Gwynne
Labour
Gorton and Denton
Commons

Answered on

22 January 2025

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and supports implementation.

A proposal for screening for neonatal diabetes mellitus was submitted to the UK NSC via its 2021 annual call process. An evidence-mapping exercise was conducted at that time which concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to recommend screening for this condition.

We are aware that the UK NSC received a submission via its 2024 annual call process to consider screening for autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes through blood testing. The UK NSC is currently reviewing all annual call proposals. More information on the annual call process is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposal

Answered by

Department of Health and Social Care
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