AQW 11122/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 27/11/2020
Answered On Date: 07/09/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health (i) for his assessment of the results of looping technology's impact on diabetes; (ii) what conversations he has had with NICE, Type 1 diabetic users of the technology and companies such as Dexcom and Abbot regarding the development and approval of the technology for general use; and (iii) what considerations his Department has given to making this technology and the associated funding available.

Answer:

Closed loop technology or looping technology is sometimes referred to as artificial pancreas technology and continually monitors blood glucose and automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given through a pump.

Results are awaited from an NHS England pilot project on looping technology's impact on diabetes. Such advances are very novel in diabetes care and the precise placement of such technology in the diabetes community continues to be explored at a national and international level.

Conversations on the development and approval of looping technology for general use are ongoing with Service User/ Carer Representatives on the Diabetes Network NI Digital workstream. A meeting has been arranged for September 2021 with Abbott Diabetes Care in relation to diabetes technology in Northern Ireland.

Closed loop technology requires underpinning from a robust insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) service.

There are a number of factors to consider in making this technology available, including workforce, availability of funding and COVID pressures on Health and Social Care.