Question reference: S6W-26571
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
- Date lodged: 28 March 2024
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Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reportedly significant waiting times for access to diabetes technology, such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems, for people with type 1 diabetes across Scotland, including in NHS Lothian, and what steps are being taken to meet the national targets and align with reported advancements in NHS England.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Diabetes Improvement Plan contains a key commitment to further increase access to existing and emerging diabetes technologies.
Between 2016 and 2022, we invested £29.6 million of additional funding specifically to support the increased provision of insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and emerging technologies such as closed loop systems.
We have also invested a further £350,000 through the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption pathway to help roll out the technology faster and more efficiently across Scotland. A key focus of this project is reducing regional variation and making access to technology more equitable across Scotland.
We continue to work closely the Diabetes Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs) within each Board, including NHS Lothian, to identify and resolve any issues raised by NHS Boards regarding accessing diabetes technologies, to ensure that all available resource is targeted to support the needs of local populations.