PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(23 June 2025)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of introducing a universal screening programme for type 1 diabetes on the incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis in children and young adults.

Asked by:
Sarah Bool (Conservative)

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 can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposal

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.

Answered by:
()