§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he will publish the diabetes National Service Framework implementation plan; and if he will make a statement; [83338]
(2) when a comprehensive diabetic retinopathy screening programme will be in place in England. [83339]
§ Mr. LammyWe shall be publishing the delivery strategy for the diabetes national service framework in the next few weeks. A national target for diabetic retinopathy screening is in the planning and priorities framework, "Improvement, Expansion and Reform", which sets the priorities for the national health service for the next three years. The target requires that 80 per cent. of people with diabetes will be offered screening for the early detection, and treatment if needed, of diabetic retinopathy by 2006, rising to 100 per cent. coverage of those at risk of retinopathy by the end of 2007.
350W
Effective length of wait from receipt of GP written referral request to first outpatient attendance (weeks) ophthalmology, quarter 2 2002 to 2003 Strategic Health Authority Proportion of first outpatient attendances seen within four weeks 0 to 4 4 to 13 13 to 17 17 to 21 21 to 26 over 26 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 2,926 3,744 1,266 663 105 7 33.6 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1,278 1,708 730 555 280 108 27.4 Birmingham and the Black Country 2,085 4,577 1,696 820 271 54 21.9 Cheshire and Merseyside 3,669 3,798 1,547 929 561 99 34.6 County Durham and Tees Valley 460 1,537 384 240 166 55 16.2 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 758 1,842 839 738 789 50 15.1 Cumbria and Lancashire 2,280 2,757 956 703 534 23 31.4 Essex 1,328 2,540 641 458 341 69 24.7 Greater Manchester 2,812 4,298 1,322 1,015 879 64 27.1 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1,114 2,934 939 480 304 2 19.3 Kent and Medway 978 1,779 787 625 1,115 0 18.5 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 728 1,492 745 650 660 55 16.8 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 3,247 3,581 1,181 837 562 68 34.3 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 1,469 2,034 575 506 356 27 29.6 North Central London 2,108 6,608 531 448 360 76 20.8 North East London 735 1,156 484 463 130 7 24.7 North West London 1,279 2,036 259 275 43 0 32.9 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 990 3,839 644 224 103 9 17.0 Shropshire and Staffordshire 1,554 1,531 523 465 861 190 30.3 Somerset and Dorset 871 1,949 873 618 164 52 19.2 South East London 950 2,470 800 655 589 184 16.8 South West London 966 2,185 383 171 143 4 25.1 South West Peninsula 1,447 2,615 526 720 784 23 23.7 South Yorkshire 2,119 2,785 670 252 67 1 36.0
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to make insulin pump therapy more widely available for the treatment of diabetes in children. [83464]
§ Mr. LammyInsulin pump therapy is not suitable for every person who requires insulin to control their diabetes. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has been asked to provide an appraisal of the clinical and cost effectiveness of insulin pump therapy. This is expected to be published in February 2003.