Tom Gordon MP Calls for National Type 1 Diabetes Screening Programme in House of Commons

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has urged the Government to take action on type 1 diabetes by rolling out a national screening programme, offering the opportunity to prevent life-threatening complications and transform how the condition is diagnosed in the UK.

Speaking in the House of Commons last week during a statement on the NHS 10-Year Plan, Tom Gordon welcomed the plan’s focus on prevention, but challenged the Government over the lack of specific mention of type 1 diabetes.

He highlighted that simple blood tests already exist which can detect biomarkers indicating a risk of developing type 1 diabetes, and that immunotherapies are now being trialled to delay onset. He urged Ministers to seize the opportunity to implement a screening system that could help to eliminate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a dangerous condition that is too often the first sign of type 1 diabetes in children and adults alike.

Tom said:

“We have all the components needed to build a national screening programme for type 1 diabetes. This is a game-changing opportunity to prevent people being diagnosed only after a medical emergency like diabetic ketoacidosis. 

“I know first-hand how terrifying DKA can be, my sister collapsed and was hospitalised while we were on holiday in Turkey when she was a child. No family should have to go through that experience when the tools to prevent it already exist. And no child should ever be lost to DKA when we have the means to detect risk early and act.

"I called on the Secretary of State to clarify whether the Government’s new NHS plan includes screening for type 1 diabetes specifically, and I’ve asked for a meeting with Ministers and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes to share the successful approach taken in Italy.”

In response, Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that the Government will be delivering on both type 1 and type 2 diabetes as part of the NHS plan. He also committed to a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss screening and learning from international best practice.

Tom Gordon is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes and continues to campaign for better diagnosis, care, and prevention strategies across the NHS.

ENDS

* Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition affecting over 400,000 people in the UK, including more than 29,000 children.

* Around 25% of children are only diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after presenting with life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

* Italy has introduced a national screening programme for type 1 diabetes using blood tests to identify at-risk individuals, paired with access to clinical trials for immunotherapies.