Diabetes: Screening
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of a universal, paediatric Type 1 Diabetes screening programme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening, and which supports implementation.
A proposal for screening for neonatal diabetes mellitus was submitted to the UK NSC via its 2021 annual call process. An evidence-mapping exercise was conducted at that time which concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to recommend screening for this condition.
The UK NSC received a submission via its 2024 annual call process to consider screening for autoimmune type 1 diabetes through blood testing. The committee requested further information from the submitter, and this is now in the process of being reviewed. Further information on the annual call process is available at the following link:
The UK NSC is aware of the ELSA study that is looking at screening children for type 1 diabetes and looks forward to receiving the results of this study in due course.
When the UK NSC makes a recommendation to introduce any screening programme they consider the cost effectiveness of the programme, and the Department estimates the cost of implementing the recommendation before ministers agree to the recommendation. Therefore, if the UK NSC makes a recommendation to screen for type 1 diabetes, a cost assessment will be made.
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