Thank you for contacting me about support and treatment for people with diabetes.
Diabetes is a leading cause of premature mortality, doubling an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease. With over 22,000 additional deaths each year, it costs over £10 billion every year to manage. That is why I believe it is important that high quality diabetes care is available.
A total £5 million was provided in 2021/22 in a national recovery fund to support the recovery of routine diabetes care through innovative projects. The programme approved 28 projects with delivery continuing in 2022/23. A further £75 million of funding is also being allocated between 2020/21 and 2023/24 for the treatment and care of people living with diabetes. NHS England continues to work to identify and develop plans to address gaps in the provision of services.
The Government is, more broadly, committed to supporting the NHS to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. An additional £23.3 billion has been announced to support the NHS in managing the ongoing impact of the pandemic. I understand that the Government is also analysing the impact of the pandemic on health conditions like diabetes, to inform how to recover the provision of routine care. I await the findings of this with interest.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.