Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address gaps in the usage of insulin pumps between (a) people with diabetes living in the most deprived areas and (b) people with diabetes living in the least deprived areas.

NHS England firmly supports and encourages local integrated care boards to adopt National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance in relation to the management of Type 1 diabetes, which includes recommended use of insulin pump.

NHS England is using the Core20PLUS5 approach to support the reduction of healthcare inequalities at both national and system level. A clinical focus for Core20PLUS5 for children and young people includes diabetes.

The approach targets populations living in 20% of the most deprived areas as identified by the national Index of Multiple Deprivation and identifies five focussed clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement.