Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2018 to Question 129467, if he will mandate that the 2018 National Diabetes Footcare Audit commissioner survey includes questions on adherence to each aspect of NICE Clinical Guidance 19.

Adherence to parts of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance 19 is assessed by the National Diabetes Foot Care Audit (NFDA) Care Structures Survey, which asks commissioners in England (National Health Service trusts) and Wales (local health boards) whether the following NICE-recommended care structures (NG19) are in place for the management of diabetic foot disease:

- Training for routine diabetic foot examinations (Relating to NG19 recommendations 1.3.3-7);

- An established Foot Protection Service pathway (Relating to NG19 recommendations 1.3.8); and

- An established Foot Disease pathway for new referrals – if needed – for an assessment within 24 hours (Relating to NG19 recommendations 1.4.1-2).

There are presently no plans to add questions to the NDFA Care Structures Survey.

Notes:

NG19: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng19

NDFA: https://www.digital.nhs.uk/footcare