Written question asked by Lord Harrison (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Darzi of Denham (Labour) on Wednesday, 17 December 2008.

Health: Diabetes

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 17 November (WA 167), what guidance will be given to general practitioners administering vascular checks on which tests to select and under what circumstances they should be used, so that patients with appropriate, established risk factors are tested for diabetes; and how the quality of the general practitioners' decision-making will be monitored.

Answer: Vascular checks will be offered to everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 who have no existing, diagnosed vascular disease. Each component of the risk assessment element of the vascular check will be specified nationally. The Vascular Checks: Risk Assessment and Management: Next Steps Guidance, published on 13 November, provides details of these. A copy has already been placed in the Library. Current National Screening Committee advice is that it is not clinically and cost-effective to offer diabetes screening to the whole population. However, it has recommended that screening certain subgroups of the population who are at high risk of type 2 diabetes is feasible, but that it should be undertaken as part of an integrated programme to detect and manage cardiovascular risk factors. As part of the commissioning process, primary care trusts will be responsible for ensuring that those they commission to deliver the vascular checks programme do so in accordance with their contractual obligations. This should include ensuring those conducting the checks do so in accordance with agreed standard operating procedures to assure the quality and consistency of the vascular check. The department will be issuing guidance in the new year on the standard operating procedures for conducting the vascular check.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 195; 706 c46WA
Session: 2008-09
Related items: Health: Diabetes
Monday, 17 November 2008
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Diabetes General practitioners Screening Cardiovascular system
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk