Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings in the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Improvement and Assessment Framework data, published in September 2016, which showed that over two-thirds of CCGs have been rated as either needs improvement or greatest need for improvement in diabetes services; and if he will make a statement.

The Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework (CCG IAF) contains two recognised evidence-based measures of whether patients with diabetes are being supported to successfully manage their condition. These are the achievement of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) treatment targets, which cover blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol control, and participation in structured education programmes.

These measures were selected to reflect matters highlighted by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in January 2016 in its report on the management of adult diabetes services. The purpose of the CCG IAF is to highlight the key areas where clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) need to make improvements. The number of CCGs in need of improvement against these two indicators is consistent with the findings of the PAC.

The NHS Operational Planning and Contracting Guidance 2017-2019 included an announcement that NHS England intends to launch a major programme of investment in the treatment and care of people with diabetes. As part of this, CCGs will be able to bid for additional funding of around £40 million per year for priorities which include improvements in relation to the achievement of the treatment targets and attendance at structured education programmes.