§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funding is being made available by the NHS for the St. Vincent joint task force for diabetes;
(2) if she will make a statement on the progress of the St. Vincent joint task force for diabetes.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe joint Department of Health—British Diabetic Association St. Vincent task force for diabetes is not funded directly by the national health service, although it includes a number of members who are NHS staff. Support costs for the task force are met by the British Diabetic Association and by the Department.
The task force is expecting to produce advice for the Secretary of State's consideration by mid-summer this year.
§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what use is being made of the chronic disease management scheme to collect data on the incidence of diabetes.
§ Mr. SackvilleGeneral practitioner practices are collecting information on diabetes. This information will in time show both the incidence and prevalence of diabetes. This has considerable potential value and a number of medical audit advisory groups have already used these data to facilitate the improvement of the care of patients with diabetes in primary care.
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