Diabetes: 10-Year Health Plan

Debate between Baroness Humphreys and Baroness Merron

Thursday 26th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Humphreys]

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether their forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan will reflect the priorities set out in Diabetes UK’s 10 Year Vision for improved prevention, early diagnosis and access to care and technology for people with diabetes.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

My Lords, the 10-year plan is not focused on specific diseases and conditions but will instead set out the changes that our NHS needs to be fit for the future—from hospital to community, from analogue to digital and from sickness to prevention—all of which closely align with the priorities in Diabetes UK’s 10 Year Vision.

[Baroness Humphreys (LD)]

I thank the Minister for that positive Answer. More than 12 million people in the UK now have diabetes or prediabetes, with research showing a staggering 51% increase in the last eight years in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among under-40s in England, at an age when the condition is more aggressive and the risk of complications is higher. To help reverse this trend, will the Government embed suggestions from Diabetes UK’s 10 Year Vision into their 10-year plan, including the creation of a healthier food environment, with a ban on TV advertising of unhealthy food and an extension of the soft drinks industry levy?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I can say yes to both of those because we have already committed to do that. The advertising restrictions were a manifesto commitment and will be implemented from 6 January. I can also tell the noble Baroness that from October this year, as the result of a consultation, the industry has already voluntarily agreed to abide by those restrictions. We had to make changes to make it more workable and I am glad we did that to get the right approach. I am also glad that we worked to get the voluntary agreement. I also said yes to the noble Baroness in respect of Diabetes UK’s 10 Year Vision, which we are very grateful for. I am also grateful for Diabetes UK’s interaction, which has been considerable, in the consultation on our 10-year plan. I thank Diabetes UK and I am sure the noble Baroness will join me in that.

Community Pharmacy Closures

Debate between Baroness Humphreys and Baroness Merron

Tuesday 28th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The economic analysis by NHS England that I just referred to will be helpful in informing where we go next. I confess that I did not get all the detail of the noble Lord’s second point, so I will look at it in Hansard and I will be pleased to write to him.

[Baroness Humphreys (LD)]

Community pharmacy owners rated medicine supply instability as the most severe pressure their businesses face. This instability puts operational pressures on pharmacies and financial pressures on businesses, and for patients it can mean alarming delays. What measures are the Government taking to address the problems of medicine supply and their impact on hard-pressed community pharmacies?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I recognise that, as the noble Baroness says, there are some difficulties with the supplies of certain medicines. That has been going on for some time. We are therefore working to ensure that the supply chain is secure and robust and can meet the demands on it, which requires a detailed look. Work will continue, and I look forward to continuing to update your Lordships’ House about that.

Type 2 Diabetes: Continuous Glucose Monitors

Debate between Baroness Humphreys and Baroness Merron

Tuesday 19th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The right reverend Prelate is quite right in what she says, including that responsibility for CGM implementation rests with integrated care boards. It is their responsibility to ensure that the technologies we are talking about can be accessed by all eligible patients regardless of their ethnicity or their indices of multiple deprivation. I assure the right reverend Prelate that achieving that equality of access in all diabetes technology is an absolute priority. We will continue to monitor progress and encourage ICBs to do that by the NDA quarterly dashboard in 2025-26. In other words, we will give ICBs the tools to do the job they need to do.

[Baroness Humphreys (LD)]

My Lords, the use of CGMs makes diabetes easier to manage, as they give not only instant information about blood sugar levels but also indicate whether levels are rising or lowering. The DVLA, however, insists on two-hourly glucose monitoring by the traditional finger pricking method when driving on long journeys. Does the noble Baroness envisage a change in this guidance in the near future?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I must confess that is something that I will need to look into—it may be with my ministerial colleagues in the Department for Transport. But I will look into it, and I will be pleased to write to the noble Baroness.