The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP) is for individuals diagnosed as high risk of type 2 diabetes, with a high blood sugar recorded in the past 12 months either through a National Health Service health check or other means. NHS DPP does not test for diabetes but rather offers support to those at risk of type 2 diabetes.

NHS England is not aware of any published data which demonstrates that disposable sensors are more effective or less expensive than current methods of self-monitoring of blood glucose.

However, it will consider any relevant studies relating to alternatives to blood testing strips for diabetes patients when they are published.

As at 23:59 on 17 November, a total of 931 passengers had been assessed at ports with enhanced screening operations.

Enhanced screening operations are in place at London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester airports, and London St Pancras train station. Entry screening at these ports is estimated to cover 97% of through ticketed arrivals from affected countries.

Other ports of entry are covered remotely when Border Force notify of passengers travelling to the United Kingdom on indirect flights. Similarly, ships are met at ports when we have been informed of their arrival in advance, and they have docked in a country of interest within the last 21 days.

Anyone flying from an affected country in West Africa is subject to exit screening overseen by the World Health Organization, which prevents those with symptoms consistent with Ebola from flying. All those who are assessed at screening in the United Kingdom as being at high risk because of their exposure history are asked to monitor their temperature twice daily and report this on a daily basis to the local health protection team for 21 days from the date they left a country of interest (currently Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone). Those who are considered at low risk are asked to monitor their temperature twice daily and report any rise in temperature to their local health protection team. As requested, local health protection teams will also follow up with particular individuals.

The NHS Health Check Programme has been subject to a phased roll out since 2009 and the number of offered appointments and take up reflect this. Estimated returns indicate that about 1 million to 1.4 million checks were offered in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively. In 2011-12 this increased to 2.2 million offers and 1.1 million checks received. During 2012-13, 2.57 million offers and 1.26 million checks were received: an uptake of 49%. This level of uptake for a new programme is a good achievement.

Local authorities are now mandated to continue the roll out of the programme with an expectation of increasing uptake to 75% which will focus programme activity. The number of NHS Health Checks offered and received is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Public Health England is actively supporting the roll out and uptake of NHS Health Checks and in July will publish a multi-agency review of implementation and action plan.

The NHS Health Check Programme has been subject to a phased roll out since 2009 and the number of offered appointments and take up reflect this. Estimated returns indicate that about 1 million to 1.4 million checks were offered in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively. In 2011-12 this increased to 2.2 million offers and 1.1 million checks received. During 2012-13, 2.57 million offers and 1.26 million checks were received: an uptake of 49%. This level of uptake for a new programme is a good achievement.

Local authorities are now mandated to continue the roll out of the programme with an expectation of increasing uptake to 75% which will focus programme activity. The number of NHS Health Checks offered and received is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Public Health England is actively supporting the roll out and uptake of NHS Health Checks and in July will publish a multi-agency review of implementation and action plan.

During 2012-13, 2.57 million offers were made and 1.26 million NHS Health Check appointments were received: an uptake of 49%. Since the national programme is in its second year of implementation following a phased roll out, uptake levels are promising.

Increasing uptake and onward referral for the NHS Health Check programme is a priority for local government, Public Health England and NHS England. Public Health England are leading an implementation review and action plan of the programme and working with multiple partners, including NHS England and local authorities to implement action that will increase uptake.

The Department has not issued any guidance to clinical commissioning groups on diabetes screening for general practitioners. However, diabetes is included in the “Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy”, which reiterates our commitment to the NHS Health Check programme.

Local authorities have been delivering the NHS Health Check programme since April 2013, and NHS England has an objective in the mandate to work with Public Health England to support local government in this work.

The NHS Health Check is aimed at everyone aged between 40 and 74 years of age and assesses an individual's risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease and supports them to reduce their risk through individually

tailored advice. Preventing diabetes is a key element of the programme and a systematic way of tackling diabetes prevention is one of its key drivers.

The programme has a strong evidence base and could prevent 4,000 people a year from developing type 2 diabetes and detect at least 20,000 cases of diabetes or kidney disease earlier, allowing for the better management of a patient's condition and quality of life in the long-term.

The NHS Health Check programme is a clear priority for both NHS England and NHS Improving Quality, whose role it is to drive the implementation of the NHS Operating Framework through effective improvement programmes.

The national Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a voluntary incentive scheme that provides additional reward to general practitioner (GP) practices for how well they care for patients based on performance against a number of agreed indicators.

Since 2004, GPs have been paid incentives for providing the nine basic checks on people with diabetes. Performance and patient care has improved considerably as a result of this.

The latest list of indicators is available here:

http://www.nhsemployers.org/Aboutus/Publications/Documents/gof-2013-14.pdf

The number of eligible people between 40 and 74 who have had a NHS Health Check from April 2011 has been published on the Department's website at:

http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/?p=20297

These data show that 1,703,085 people have received a NHS Health Check since April 2011. Prior to this, there were no comprehensive central data collections in place to measure the number of NHS Health Checks received by eligible 40 to 74-year-olds. The number of cases of previously undetected diabetes found through the programme is not held centrally.

The number of eligible people between 40 and 74 who have had a NHS Health Check from April 2011 has been published on the Department's website at:

http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/?p=20297

These data show that 1,703,085 people have received a NHS Health Check since April 2011. Prior to this, there were no comprehensive central data collections in place to measure the number of NHS Health Checks received by eligible 40 to 74-year-olds. The number of cases of previously undetected diabetes found through the programme is not held centrally.

The National Health Service Health Check programme is aimed at everyone eligible in England between the ages of 40 and 74. It is a risk assessment and risk management programme, which assesses people's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes and supports people to reduce or manage that risk through individually tailored support, and advice. In rolling out this programme, some primary care trusts targeted high-risk groups first, such as South Asian populations who are at particularly high risk of diabetes.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the NHS in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC has just commenced a review of screening for type 2 diabetes against its criteria and stakeholders will be given the opportunity to input into the review process once the completed review is posted on the UK NSC website for consultation.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's public health guidance “Preventing type 2 diabetes: population and community-level interventions in high-risk groups and the general population”, published in May 2011, makes recommendations for the provision of culturally appropriate messages about preventing type 2 diabetes. The guidance underlines the action that we are already taking to improve public health and reduce the risk of people developing type 2 diabetes.