§ 1. Mr. Adrian Sanders (Torbay)If he will make a statement on progress towards a national service framework for diabetes. [75349]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Jacqui Smith)We recently published two important national targets for the NHS to improve diabetes care over the next three years. We are currently finalising the wider delivery strategy that will underpin those targets and the national service framework standards, published last December. We shall publish the delivery strategy shortly.
§ Mr. SandersGiven the ever-increasing rise in the number of diabetics being diagnosed, are the Government satisfied that the sums of money being talked about will be sufficient? What mechanisms will be in place to ensure that the Government's targets are met?
§ Jacqui SmithI know that the hon. Gentleman and the all-party group play an important part and have a close interest in this issue, and I welcome that. The two targets that I outlined, for improving the monitoring and treatment provided through primary care and for ensuring that diabetic retinopathy screening is more widely available, are in the planning and performance framework. That is the programme for the NHS for the next three years, and it will receive historic levels of 664 funding—real-terms annual increases of 7.5 per cent. Compared with even the wilder dreams of the Liberal Democrats, that is a considerable investment.
As I made clear, both the standards produced last December, which set out the basis and the direction of travel for local health services, and the delivery strategy that we will publish shortly will put some flesh on the bones of that policy. The strategy will be delivered at local level because diabetologists, specialist nurses, GPs, dieticians, podiatrists, ophthalmologists and, increasingly, patients managing their own care need to be able, within those national standards, to make the important decisions. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that, thanks to this Government, there will be extra investment to help to support those decisions.
§ Mr. David Stewart (Inverness, East, Nairn and Lochaber)As secretary of the all-party diabetes group, may I ask the Minister when she expects to receive advice from the UK screening committee on the possibility of having a screening programme for type-2 diabetics?
§ Jacqui SmithI recognise my hon. Friend's important contribution to the all-party group.
As we outlined in the standards, there is an important role for the national screening committee in spelling out the most effective way of developing a screening programme for type-2 diabetics. I am sure that my hon. Friend will agree that, given that diabetes disproportionately affects people in disadvantaged areas and people from black and minority ethnic communities, and given that it is often causally related to coronary heart disease, it is important that we find the most effective way of targeting that screening programme and of ensuring that we effectively develop the services for those affected. We look to the national screening committee to come forward with more advice, and we may then need to consider how to pilot the programme to ensure that we are targeting it in the right places.
§ Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex)Given the truly wicked and insidious nature of the disease, is the hon. Lady sure that the gross discorrelation between services throughout the country—there is little consistency or sameness of service—will be addressed quickly enough by the steps the Government have taken? I accept that the Government have a big investment programme, but is she sure that it will happen quickly enough? Will she discuss with officials what steps could be taken to bring about greater efficiency in the service, so that more people get the same high-quality service?
§ Jacqui SmithThe hon. Gentleman asks an important question: how can we ensure that the good practice found in some parts of the country is spread more uniformly? That is the reason for the development of the national service framework. The standards published in December were the first ever national standards for diabetes care. As we have developed the delivery strategy, we have been careful to do so in partnership with those who will have to make it work—people working in primary care, diabetes specialists and, importantly, patients themselves, because patients are increasingly able to manage their condition. I am 665 confident that the national service framework and the process of developing it will make an important difference to people with diabetes, but so, too, will the investment—investment that has already been made, as well as future investment—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I do not like to interrupt the Minister, but I need briefer replies.