February 2024
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for your email.
Diabetes is a leading cause of premature mortality, doubling an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease. It costs over £10 billion every year to manage and results in over 22,000 additional deaths each year. That is why I believe it is important that high quality diabetes care is available.
A total of £5 million was provided in 2021/22 in a national recovery fund to support the recovery of routine diabetes care through innovative projects. The programme approved 28 projects with delivery in 2022/23. A further £75 million of funding is also being allocated between 2020/21 and 2023/24 for the treatment and care of people living with diabetes. NHS England continues to work to identify and develop plans to address gaps in the provision of services.
The Government also supports work to prevent the development of diabetes. The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme operates to identify people who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and refers them on to a nine-month, evidence-based lifestyle change programme. Latest figures, published in February 2023 shows a 20 per cent reduction in risk for those who are referred to the programme compared to those who are not.
Finally, the Government has announced its intention to develop and publish a Major Conditions Strategy. The strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, whole-person care. Interventions set out in the strategy will aim to alleviate pressure on the health system, as well as support the Government’s objective to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity. Diabetes is one of the six major conditions included in the strategy.
A call for evidence was launched for the Major Conditions Strategy which ran last year. The Government is analysing responses and will respond very shortly.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me about these important issues and I will constantly press my Party’s manifesto team to include further positive proposals for the next Parliament.
With best wishes,
Kind regards,
Jonathan Lord MP
Member of Parliament for Woking