HC Deb 10 July 2002 vol 388 cc1048-50W
Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's estimate is of the average cost to the NHS of treatment for a diabetic in each of the last five years. [68008]

Mr. Lammy

The only cost data currently collected centrally on diabetes relate to treatments undertaken by National Health Service Trusts. These exclude costs for diabetes within general practice and other primary care settings. Costs in the financial year 2000–01 are shown in the table. Comparable data are not available for earlier years.

(2) if he will make a statement on the adequacy of funding for the Diabetes National Standards Framework to meet the costs of diabetics in the period up to 2010. [68009]

Mr. Lammy

Funding for diabetes is being considered as part of the current Government spending review, together with other priorities. The Budget provides the highest sustained growth in national health service history with annual average increases of 7.4 per cent. in real terms over the five years 2003–04 to 2007–08. Decisions about the allocation of the increased funding will be announced later this year.

The pace of change for delivery of diabetes national service framework will take account of the resources that will be available.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the link between diabetes and CHD. [68010]

Mr. Lammy

There is a well established association between diabetes and coronary heart disease. There are a number of common risk factors. In particular, people who are overweight or obese, those who are not physically active and those who do not enjoy a balanced diet are at greater risk of both Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. The standards for the diabetes national service framework, published in December 2001, highlight the importance of common strategies for prevention and treatment. In doing so, they build on the frameworks for coronary heart disease and older people.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's estimate is of the likely rise in cases of diabetes by 2010. [68006]

Mr. Lammy

The Department provided the following prevalence projections to the Wanless review team for diabetes in England for the years up to 2010:

Year Diagnosed prevalence Total patients (million)
2002 2.63 1.316
2003 2.7 1.355
2004 2.78 1.399
2005 2.87 1.448
2006 2.97 1.502
2007 3.07 1.561
2008 3.19 1.624
2009 3.31 1.689
2010 3.44 1.759

There are considerable uncertainties involved in predicting the increase in numbers of people with diabetes, due to the many factors that affect estimates including obesity, aging and ethnicity.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's estimate is of(a) the number of patients awaiting diagnosis for diabetes and (b) the percentage of newly diagnosed diabetics who show signs of complications. [68007]

Mr. Lammy

Estimates of the number of people awaiting diagnosis for diabetes vary depending on which study is consulted. The Department has based its estimates upon the health surveys for England. Extrapolation from the 1993 survey, the largest and most representative study on this question, leads to an estimate of around 550,000 people currently with undiagnosed diabetes. However, other smaller studies suggest that the number could be greater.

We have not estimated the percentage of people with newly diagnosed diabetes who show signs of complications.

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