Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to promote to patients the use of hybrid closed loop technology for patients with type one diabetes.

The National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) has published its draft guidance on Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) technology which recommends the cohorts of patients with type 1 diabetes that it should be rolled out to. The draft guidance is out for comment until 28 November 2023. If there are no appeals, then the final guidance will be published in December 2023. Recognising HCL represents a step change in care for patients living with type 1 diabetes, NICE has agreed with NHS England a planned five year roll out for this technology recognising that both clinicians and patients require training to safely use the HCL technology.

The Department welcomes NICE’s draft guidance and supports the NHS England phased approach to adoption. NHS England will make clinicians aware of the priorities for access, to help reduce healthcare inequalities.

If a patient meets the eligibility criteria for the hybrid closed loop, then their clinician can recommend this in line with NICE recommendations. NHS England is engaging with integrated care board leads, trust clinical leads working within children, young people and adults services, professional bodies and patient representative groups as part of the implementation strategy’s development.