Chamber and committees

As part of the Scottish Diabetes Group, we have a Scottish Diabetes Foot Action Group (SDFAG) which is comprised of clinicians from across the country with an interest in diabetic foot complications. We have also funded a part time role of National Diabetes Foot Co-ordinator.

SDFAG has worked closely with the SCI-Diabetes team to develop an Ulcer Management System to record and manage all episodes of Foot Ulceration occurring in individuals with Diabetes. The SDFAG supports teams to record all episodes of new foot ulceration , by completing a series of mandatory fields.

These mandatory fields must be completed, as a minimum requirement, for every new diabetic foot ulcer at first presentation. Standards across Scotland ensure that every individual with diabetes who develops a new foot ulcer should be seen within a multidisciplinary foot clinic or by a Podiatrist within 2 working days and must be recorded on the SCI-Diabetes system. This pathway is known to reduce the risk of major amputation.

As part of the Scottish Diabetes Group, we have a sub-group working specifically on pregnancy related projects. The pregnancy group are working closely with SCI-Diabetes leads to develop specific measures for the dashboard. These will help us to identify where and when improvements are being made and ensure we utilise the data to identify future opportunities or risks.

The calculation referred to in the question was made based on data on inflation available at the time. Using the updated GDP deflators the comparable figure is now around £800 million.

As the Scottish Fiscal Commission has noted, due to the way that the GDP deflator is calculated, it may not accurately capture the change in all costs incurred by government, and as result the above real-terms calculations may underestimate the true scale of inflationary pressure on some areas of Scottish Government resource spending.

As part of the Scottish Diabetes Group (SDG), we have an inpatient sub-group, with a focus on improving diabetes care in hospitals.

The inpatient group, with support from the SDG, will carry out a national inpatient audit this year. The purpose of the audit is to review the diabetes care currently being provided in hospitals The data will also highlight any areas for improvement and help NHS Boards to make any necessary improvements to the care and treatment of people living with diabetes in hospitals.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s professional education toolkit ‘Think, Check, Act’ has also been reviewed and was updated in December 2022. We are continuing to work with NHS Boards, NHS Education for Scotland and other key stakeholders to embed Diabetes ‘Think, Check, Act’ modules into healthcare professional education to ensure that people with diabetes have access to the best possible care and treatment whilst they are in hospital.

The information requested is not held centrally.

As part of the Scottish Diabetes Group, we have a sub-group focusing on education; the Scottish Diabetes Education Advisory Group (SDEAG). SDEAG are currently developing ‘Once for Scotland’ pathways for diabetes education and supported self-management. These pathways will highlight the education opportunities and resources which should be available for every person with a diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes in Scotland.

We have established Type 1 and Type 2 Short Life Working Groups, with clinical representation from every NHS Board as well as from third sector organisations. The pathway development is being done in collaboration with people living with diabetes, through our Diabetes Lived Experience Network hosted by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE).

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14364 on 9 February 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

As part of the Scottish Diabetes Group, we have a sub-group focusing on projects specific to pregnancy and gestational diabetes. This group, alongside SCI-diabetes leads, are working on linkage opportunities with the maternity app, BadgerNet. This is an ongoing project and requires collaboration between many technical and operational teams.

This information is not held centrally. However, the Scottish Diabetes Education Advisory Group (SDEAG) has been working with undergraduate medical education partners in order to ensure that appropriate education on diabetes is included in the curriculum. The Inpatient Sub-Group of the Scottish Diabetes Group has also been working to improve the ‘Think, Check, Act’ training module hosted by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The Type 2 Prevention Framework has also provided opportunities for several professional groups to participate in continued professional development, including training on trauma informed care and the psychological impact of overweight and obesity on diabetes management.

The information in the format requested is not held centrally. The Scottish Diabetes Survey records blood pressure less than or equal to 140 mmHg and can be found by following link: https://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/publications/#survey-docs.

The Scottish Diabetes Survey 2021 is due to be published this month, February 2023.